AB 660

  • California Assembly Bill
  • 2023-2024 Regular Session
  • Introduced in Assembly
  • Passed Assembly May 30, 2023
  • Passed Senate Aug 27, 2024
  • Became Law Sep 28, 2024

Food and beverage products: labeling: quality dates, safety dates, and sell-by dates.

Abstract

(1) Existing law, the Milk and Milk Products Act of 1947, regulates milk and milk products and establishes standards for the manufacturing, handling, processing, and marketing of milk and milk products. Existing law requires that there appear on the package or container of market milk, market cream, and other milk products made from market milk or any component or derivative of market milk the date established by the processor as the date on which, in order to ensure consumer quality, the product is normally removed from the shelf or similar location from which the milk product is offered for sale to the consumer. This bill would instead require that there appear on the package or container of those milk products the date established by the processor as the date by which the milk product should normally be used to ensure consumer quality. (2) Existing law requires the Department of Food and Agriculture, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health, to publish information to encourage food manufacturers, processors, and retailers responsible for the labeling of food products to voluntarily use specified uniform terms on food product labels to communicate quality dates, as defined, and safety dates, as defined. Existing law also requires the Department of Food and Agriculture to encourage food distributors and retailers to develop alternatives to consumer-facing "sell by" dates, defined to mean a date on a label affixed to the packaging or container of food that is intended to communicate primarily to a distributor or retailer for purposes of stock rotation and that is not a quality date or a safety date. The Food and Agricultural Code provides that, unless a different penalty is expressly provided, a violation of any provision of that code is a misdemeanor. This bill would instead require, on and after July 1, 2026, a food manufacturer, processor, or retailer responsible for the labeling of food items for human consumption that chooses, or is otherwise required by law, to display a date label to communicate a quality or safety date on a food item manufactured on or after July 1, 2026, to use specified uniform terms on the date label, as provided. The bill would prohibit a person from selling or offering for sale in the state a food item for human consumption manufactured on or after July 1, 2026, that displays a quality or safety date label that is not labeled in accordance with that requirement or that is labeled with the phrase "sell by," as specified. The bill would specify that, unless otherwise required by law, these provisions do not require the use or display of a date label on a food item for human consumption unless the food item displays a date label, and would provide that these provisions do not prohibit a label that allows consumers to view online information about a food item for human consumption. The bill would authorize a grocery store, on and after July 1, 2026, to display a label with the phrase "packed on" on a prepared food item and to sell or offer for sale in the state the prepared food item with that label, if the prepared food item also displays a quality or safety date label in accordance with the above-described requirement. The bill would provide that these provisions do not prohibit a person from displaying on wine, a distilled spirit, or a wine- or distilled spirit-based product bottled or packaged on and after July 1, 2026, a label with a statement that communicates the date on which the wine, distilled spirit, or wine- or distilled spirit-based product was produced, manufactured, bottled, or packaged, or from selling or offering for sale in the state the wine, distilled spirit, or wine- or distilled spirit-based product with that label. The bill's above-described provisions would not apply to infant formula, eggs, pasteurized in-shell eggs, or beer and other malt beverages. By creating new requirements regarding the labeling of food items, the violation of which would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law, the California Retail Food Code establishes uniform health and sanitation standards for retail food facilities for regulation by the State Department of Public Health, and requires local enforcement agencies to enforce those provisions. The California Retail Food Code, requires a food facility that packages food using a reduced-oxygen packaging method and Clostridium botulinum to have an approved plan, as specified, that, among other things, limits the refrigerated shelf life to no more than 30 calendar days from packaging to consumption, except the time the product is maintained frozen, or the original manufacturer's "sell by" or "use by" date, whichever occurs first. This bill would retain that requirement before July 1, 2026, and, on and after July 1, 2026, would limit the refrigerated shelf life to no more than 30 calendar days from packaging to consumption, except the time the product is maintained frozen, or the original safety date, as specified, whichever occurs first. A violation of the California Retail Food Code is generally a misdemeanor. By revising the standards that are enforced by local health agencies and by expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Bill Sponsors (3)

Votes


Actions


Sep 28, 2024

California State Legislature

Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 911, Statutes of 2024.

California State Legislature

Approved by the Governor.

Sep 10, 2024

California State Legislature

Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.

Aug 28, 2024

Assembly

In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 30 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.

Assembly

Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 61. Noes 14.).

Assembly

Assembly Rule 77 suspended.

Aug 27, 2024

Senate

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 34. Noes 1.).

Aug 26, 2024

Senate

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

Aug 23, 2024

Senate

Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

Aug 22, 2024

Senate

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

Aug 21, 2024

Senate

Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

Aug 19, 2024

Senate

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

Aug 15, 2024

Senate

Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

Senate

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.) (August 15).

Jul 01, 2024

Senate

In committee: Referred to suspense file.

  • Referral-Committee
suspense file.

Jun 18, 2024

Senate

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 18). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  • Committee-Passage
  • Committee-Passage-Favorable
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on APPR.

Jun 06, 2024

Senate

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on AGRI.

  • Amendment-Introduction
  • Amendment-Passage
  • Reading-1
  • Reading-2
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on AGRI.

Aug 17, 2023

Senate

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on AGRI.

  • Amendment-Introduction
  • Amendment-Passage
  • Reading-1
  • Reading-2
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on AGRI.

Jul 03, 2023

Senate

In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

Jun 26, 2023

Senate

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on AGRI.

  • Amendment-Passage
  • Reading-1
  • Reading-2
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on AGRI.

Jun 22, 2023

Senate

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on AGRI. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 21).

Jun 07, 2023

Senate

Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and AGRI.

  • Referral-Committee
Coms. on HEALTH and AGRI.

May 31, 2023

Senate

In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

May 30, 2023

Assembly

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 63. Noes 16. Page 1909.)

May 22, 2023

Assembly

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

May 18, 2023

Assembly

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (May 18).

Assembly

Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

May 10, 2023

Assembly

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  • Referral-Committee
APPR. suspense file. APPR

May 02, 2023

Assembly

Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  • Referral-Committee
Com. on APPR.

May 01, 2023

Assembly

Read second time and amended.

Apr 27, 2023

Assembly

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (April 25).

Apr 17, 2023

Assembly

In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

Apr 11, 2023

Assembly

Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  • Referral-Committee
Com. on HEALTH.

Apr 10, 2023

Assembly

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.

Mar 16, 2023

Assembly

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (March 15). Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  • Committee-Passage
  • Committee-Passage-Favorable
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on HEALTH.

Feb 17, 2023

Assembly

Referred to Coms. on AGRI. and HEALTH.

  • Referral-Committee
Coms. on AGRI. and HEALTH.

Feb 10, 2023

Assembly

From printer. May be heard in committee March 12.

Feb 09, 2023

Assembly

Read first time. To print.

Bill Text

Bill Text Versions Format
AB660 HTML
02/09/23 - Introduced PDF
04/10/23 - Amended Assembly PDF
05/01/23 - Amended Assembly PDF
05/18/23 - Amended Assembly PDF
06/26/23 - Amended Senate PDF
08/17/23 - Amended Senate PDF
06/06/24 - Amended Senate PDF
08/15/24 - Amended Senate PDF
08/21/24 - Amended Senate PDF
08/23/24 - Amended Senate PDF
08/31/24 - Enrolled PDF
09/28/24 - Chaptered PDF

Related Documents

Document Format
03/14/23- Assembly Agriculture PDF
04/21/23- Assembly Health PDF
05/08/23- Assembly Appropriations PDF
05/24/23- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS PDF
06/19/23- Senate Health PDF
06/30/23- Senate Agriculture PDF
06/14/24- Senate Agriculture PDF
06/28/24- Senate Appropriations PDF
08/15/24- Senate Appropriations PDF
08/19/24- Sen. Floor Analyses PDF
08/22/24- Sen. Floor Analyses PDF
08/26/24- Sen. Floor Analyses PDF
08/28/24- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS PDF

Sources

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