Which rules apply to staples and prepared meals?

Merchandise labelled “Made in U.S.A.”, “Made in America”, “U.S.A.” or similar is sold in California only if no part of it was entirely or substantially made outside the United States, apart from foreign parts worth at most 5% of the final wholesale value (10% if they cannot be had domestically)

Must meet the conditions of BPC 17533.7(a): no person may sell or offer for sale in California merchandise on which, or on whose container, the words “Made in U.S.A.,” “Made in America,” “U.S.A.,” or similar words appear if the merchandise or any article, unit, or part of it has been entirely or substantially made, manufactured, or produced outside the United States. (b): foreign articles, units or parts worth not more than 5 percent of the final wholesale value are allowed; (c): up to 10 percent if the manufacturer shows it can neither produce them in the United States nor obtain them from a domestic source (cost is not a reason). (d): does not apply to merchandise sold for resale to consumers outside California.

• Claim: Made in USA
• You make or show the words “Made in U.S.A.,” “Made in America,” “U.S.A.,” or similar words on the merchandise or its container, and sell or offer it for sale in California (BPC 17533.7(a))

In force, start date unknown

Current text as amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 238 (SB 633), effective January 1, 2016; the section states no other start date.

No untruthful, deceptive or misleading environmental marketing claim, explicit or implied, including any claim covered by the FTC Green Guides

Must meet the conditions of BPC 17580.5(a): it is unlawful to make an untruthful, deceptive, or misleading environmental marketing claim, whether explicit or implied; environmental marketing claims include any claim in the FTC Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (16 CFR 260). (b)(1): conforming to the Green Guides is a defense, except (b)(2) for chasing-arrows and recyclable claims deemed deceptive under PRC 42355.51(b)(1) and for PRC 18015(d) claims.

• Claim: eco-friendly or sustainable or carbon neutral or recyclable or biodegradable or compostable or degradable
• You make an environmental marketing claim, explicit or implied (BPC 17580.5(a): any claim in the FTC “Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims”)

In force, start date unknown

Current text as amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 507 (SB 343), effective January 1, 2022; the section states no other start date.

A maker or distributor that calls its consumer good environmentally friendly, green or the like, uses a chasing arrows symbol or tells consumers to recycle it keeps written records supporting the claim and gives them to anyone who asks

Must meet the conditions of BPC 17580(a): a person who represents in advertising or on the label or container of a consumer good it manufactures or distributes that the good is not harmful to, or is beneficial to, the natural environment (“environmentally friendly”, “earth friendly”, “green product” or any like term), or uses a chasing arrows symbol or otherwise directs a consumer to recycle it, must keep written records of (1) why it believes the claim true, (2) significant adverse environmental impacts of the good's production, distribution, use and disposal, (3) measures taken to reduce them, (4) related permit violations, (5) whether the good conforms to the FTC Green Guides for “recycled”, “recyclable”, “biodegradable”, “photodegradable” or “ozone friendly”, and (6) for a recyclable claim or chasing arrows, whether it meets the statewide recyclability criteria of PRC 42355.51(d). (b): the records are furnished to any member of the public on request. (c): a wholesaler or retailer that does not initiate the representation is not deemed to make it.

• Claim: eco-friendly or sustainable or carbon neutral or recyclable or biodegradable or compostable or degradable
• You make a representation in advertising or on the label or container that the consumer good you manufacture or distribute is not harmful to, or is beneficial to, the natural environment (“environmentally friendly”, “green product” or a like term), use a chasing arrows symbol, or otherwise direct a consumer to recycle it (BPC 17580(a))

In force, start date unknown

Current text as amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 67 (AB 1170), effective January 1, 2026; Article 7 was added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1413; the section states no other start date.

The product, and any flame-retarded part of it, contains no more than 0.1 percent pentaBDE or octaBDE

Must meet the conditions of PBDE flame retardants: a person may not manufacture, process, or distribute in commerce in California a product, or a flame-retarded part of a product, containing more than one-tenth of 1 percent of pentaBDE or octaBDE (HSC 108922)

Every product in the category

In force since 1 Jun 2006

Applies to products sold on or after 1 Jun 2006

Stated: “On and after June 1, 2006”.

The product's package and packaging components (inks, labels, adhesives, coatings) have no intentionally added lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium, and the four together are at most 100 ppm

Must meet the conditions of Toxics in packaging: a person may not offer for sale or for promotional purposes in California a product in a package that includes a regulated metal (lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium, 25214.12(l)) intentionally introduced into the package or a packaging component during manufacturing or distribution (25214.13(b)); nor a package, packaging component or product in a package if the incidental concentrations of all regulated metals in a single-component package or an individual packaging component together exceed 100 parts per million by weight (25214.13(c)). Package (25214.12(h)): any container providing a means of marketing, protecting, or handling a product from its point of manufacture to its sale or transfer to a consumer, including a shipping container; packaging component (25214.12(i)) includes inks, labels, dyes, pigments, adhesives, coatings and closures.

• You offer the product in California in a package (25214.13(b): "a product in a package"); a product sold with no packaging has nothing to comply

In force since 1 Jan 2006

Applies to products sold on or after 1 Jan 2006

25214.13(b) and (c): "on and after January 1, 2006".

Join the approved producer responsibility organization (PRO) for the product's single-use packaging, and file a business address with CalRecycle

Registration required

Packaging EPR (SB 54): by January 1, 2024 producers of covered material form and join a PRO (42051(a)); upon approval of the PRO's plan or from January 1, 2027, whichever is sooner, a producer may not sell, offer for sale, import or distribute covered materials in California unless approved to participate in the plan of an approved PRO, or approved to comply individually (42051(b)); every producer files its primary business address with CalRecycle and reports changes within 30 days (42051(c)). Covered material (42041(e)(1)(A)): single-use packaging routinely recycled, disposed of or discarded after its contents are used or unpackaged.

• Your gross sales in California in the most recent calendar year at least 1000000 USD
• The product is sold in California in single-use packaging, and you are its producer under PRC 42041(w): the brand-owning or licensee manufacturer; if none is in the state, the brand owner or exclusive licensee; if none is in the state, the person who sells, offers for sale or distributes it in or into the state; and you had gross sales of $1,000,000 or more in California in the most recent calendar year (42060(a)(5)(A))

Depends on: ca gross sales usd

In force since 1 Jan 2024

Applies to products sold on or after 1 Jan 2024

PRO membership by January 1, 2024 (42051(a)); sale only through an approved PRO plan from plan approval or January 1, 2027, whichever is sooner (42051(b)(1)).

A product or packaging that carries a deceptive or misleading recyclability claim may not be offered for sale, sold, distributed or imported into California

Must meet the conditions of PRC 42355.51(a): a person shall not offer for sale, sell, distribute, or import into California any product or packaging for which a deceptive or misleading claim about the recyclability of the product or packaging is made. (f): recycling does not include transformation, EMSW conversion or production of fuels.

• Claim: recyclable
• You make a claim about the recyclability of the product or its packaging, or display a chasing arrows symbol or any other symbol or statement indicating it is recyclable (PRC 42355.51(a), (b)(1))

In force, start date unknown

Current text as amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 28 (SB 1380), effective January 1, 2023 (the section was added by SB 343, Stats. 2021, Ch. 507); subdivision (a) states no other start date.

A chasing arrows symbol or other recyclable symbol or statement on a product or its packaging is deemed deceptive unless the item is recyclable in California under the CalRecycle criteria (42355.51(d)); on a product that is not, it may not appear on the product at all

Must meet the conditions of PRC 42355.51(b)(1): a product or packaging that displays a chasing arrows symbol (also around a resin identification code) or any other symbol or statement indicating it is recyclable, or directing the consumer to recycle it, is deemed a deceptive or misleading claim (here and under BPC 17580.5) unless it is considered recyclable in the state under subdivision (d) (collected by programs serving at least 60 percent of the population, sorted by large facilities serving 60 percent of programs, no PFAS or listed chemicals, designed for recyclability) and is of a material type and form that routinely becomes feedstock for new products or packaging. (b)(3)(A): for a product not recyclable in the state, a chasing arrows symbol or recyclable statement directly on the product is deemed deceptive. (b)(3)(B): multi-material items may carry the claim on recyclable external packaging only if they say, as prominently, which components are not recyclable.

• Claim: recyclable
• You make a claim about the recyclability of the product or its packaging, or display a chasing arrows symbol or any other symbol or statement indicating it is recyclable (PRC 42355.51(a), (b)(1))

In force since 4 Oct 2026

Applies to products manufactured on or after 4 Oct 2026

(b)(2)(A): (b)(1) does not apply to a product or packaging manufactured up to 18 months after CalRecycle publishes its first material characterization study, or before January 1, 2024, whichever is later. CalRecycle states that the labeling restrictions apply to products and packaging manufactured after October 4, 2026 (calrecycle.ca.gov/wcs/recyclinglabels, read 2026-10-27), and that the date may be affected by litigation (California League of Food Producers v. Bonta).