CanadiansB次元官网网址� misunderstanding of best before dates could be contributing to excess food waste and, in turn, food insecurity, experts say as a government committee urges Ottawa to examine the issue.
A report on grocery affordability from a House of Commons committee on agriculture and agri-food includes arguments that Canada do away with best before dates due to the widespread misconception that they indicate whether a product is safe to consume.
Experts say all they indicate is when a product is past its peak freshness.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of confusion around what food labels mean,B次元官网网址� Kate Parizeau, a professor at the University of Guelph who studies food waste, said Tuesday.
B次元官网网址淎 lot of people think that best before dates are expiry dates, when there are actually very few products in Canada that have a proper expiry date.B次元官网网址�
Generally, the only foods with an expiry date are those that have a specific nutritional requirement that could degrade over time, such as baby formula. Best before dates, on the other hand, are required on foods that are expected to go bad within 90 days.
Food manufacturers and processors tend to slap them on all sorts of products, though, Parizeau noted, and they are of limited utility.
B次元官网网址淚 think many people have this idea that before dates are determined by scientists in a lab measuring how many days until a product goes bad,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 not how it works. ItB次元官网网址檚 something that the government tells manufacturers that they themselves have to figure out in-house, so itB次元官网网址檚 a bit of a black box.B次元官网网址�
Parizeau encouraged consumers to learn more about food safety so they can determine for themselves whether groceries are spoiled.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e so disconnected from our food sources. We donB次元官网网址檛 know when the product was picked. We donB次元官网网址檛 know how long itB次元官网网址檚 supposed to stay good,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淪o if somebody puts peppers into cellophane and puts a sticker on them, weB次元官网网址檙e like, B次元官网网址極K, this is meaningful. I can trust whatever is put on the sticker.B次元官网网址� In part, because we donB次元官网网址檛 understand how that decision came about either.B次元官网网址�
Lori Nikkel, the CEO of Second Harvest Canada, is quoted in the government report saying that best before dates encourage people to throw out B次元官网网址減erfectly good foodB次元官网网址� when many go hungry because of rising costs.
B次元官网网址淓liminating best-before dates would prevent safe, consumable food from being thrown out and save Canadians money on their grocery bills,B次元官网网址� she said in the report released last month, which recommends the government investigate B次元官网网址渉ow the elimination of B次元官网网址榖est-beforeB次元官网网址� dates on foods would impact Canadians.B次元官网网址�
Michael von Massow, an expert in food labeling who also teaches at the University of Guelph, said heB次元官网网址檚 in favour of doing away with the labels.
B次元官网网址淏ecause they are so misinterpreted, I think thereB次元官网网址檚 some real value in getting rid of them,B次元官网网址� he said.
Von Massow said the extent to which food waste drives up cost is not clear, though it stands to reason that it plays some role by reducing the supply and increasing demand for groceries.
B次元官网网址淚f we were throwing out less stuff, we would save money in our households, even if prices didnB次元官网网址檛 change,B次元官网网址� von Massow said.
B次元官网网址淪o I think thereB次元官网网址檚 an argument that prices could change if we threw less of some products out. But even if it didnB次元官网网址檛 change, if we threw less stuff out, our grocery budget would go down.B次元官网网址�
The suggestion that the government study the potential effects of removing best before dates is one of 13 in the report.
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