Is it time to scrap “best before” dates? A growing number of food experts certainly think so.
A new report on grocery affordability from a House of Commons committee says a lot of Canadians don't understand the difference between best before dates and expiry dates. As a result, huge amounts of food that are perfectly safe to eat are getting tossed in the trash.
“Best before dates are considered a significant contributor to food waste, and are probably the least well understood piece of information on any food packaging — which is saying a lot, given how much information we have on food packaging,” says Mike Von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph.
Von Massow was a recent guest on Village Media’s Inside the Village podcast.
“A best before date is the day that this product will maintain its peak freshness and quality,” he says. “So if the best before date is today, that means today it is still as good as it’s ever going to be. Tomorrow, it might be as good as it’s ever going to be, but it might start to deteriorate in terms of freshness. But it doesn’t tell us anything about food safety.”
You can watch the full episode HERE.
Hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media, Inside the Village is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms. Produced by Derek Turner, the program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people across the province.
Every episode is available HERE. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.
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