Canadians害羞草研究所� 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.
害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 a lot of confusion around what food labels mean,害羞草研究所� Kate Parizeau, a professor at the University of Guelph who studies food waste, said Tuesday.
害羞草研究所淎 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.害羞草研究所�
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.
害羞草研究所淚 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,害羞草研究所� she said.
害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 not how it works. It害羞草研究所檚 something that the government tells manufacturers that they themselves have to figure out in-house, so it害羞草研究所檚 a bit of a black box.害羞草研究所�
Parizeau encouraged consumers to learn more about food safety so they can determine for themselves whether groceries are spoiled.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e so disconnected from our food sources. We don害羞草研究所檛 know when the product was picked. We don害羞草研究所檛 know how long it害羞草研究所檚 supposed to stay good,害羞草研究所� she said.
害羞草研究所淪o if somebody puts peppers into cellophane and puts a sticker on them, we害羞草研究所檙e like, 害羞草研究所極K, this is meaningful. I can trust whatever is put on the sticker.害羞草研究所� In part, because we don害羞草研究所檛 understand how that decision came about either.害羞草研究所�
Lori Nikkel, the CEO of Second Harvest Canada, is quoted in the government report saying that best before dates encourage people to throw out 害羞草研究所減erfectly good food害羞草研究所� when many go hungry because of rising costs.
害羞草研究所淓liminating best-before dates would prevent safe, consumable food from being thrown out and save Canadians money on their grocery bills,害羞草研究所� she said in the report released last month, which recommends the government investigate 害羞草研究所渉ow the elimination of 害羞草研究所榖est-before害羞草研究所� dates on foods would impact Canadians.害羞草研究所�
Michael von Massow, an expert in food labeling who also teaches at the University of Guelph, said he害羞草研究所檚 in favour of doing away with the labels.
害羞草研究所淏ecause they are so misinterpreted, I think there害羞草研究所檚 some real value in getting rid of them,害羞草研究所� 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.
害羞草研究所淚f we were throwing out less stuff, we would save money in our households, even if prices didn害羞草研究所檛 change,害羞草研究所� von Massow said.
害羞草研究所淪o I think there害羞草研究所檚 an argument that prices could change if we threw less of some products out. But even if it didn害羞草研究所檛 change, if we threw less stuff out, our grocery budget would go down.害羞草研究所�
The suggestion that the government study the potential effects of removing best before dates is one of 13 in the report.
READ ALSO:
READ ALSO:
