A recent study shows that about 40% of Gen Z Canadians, aged 18 to 24, misunderstand the meaning of best before dates on food products. This finding comes from an online survey conducted by Dalhousie University’s agri-food analytics lab in collaboration with Too Good To Go, a company focused on reducing food waste. The survey indicates that 25% of Gen Z respondents discard food after its best before date, even when it is still safe to eat. This behavior results in an average food waste cost of $329 per household each year.

Nicolas Dot, a spokesperson for Too Good To Go, noted, "That was definitely one of the very insightful data that we collected through this research. (There’s) some kind of generational gap and definitely around knowledge there is a strong gap."

The study aimed to assess consumer understanding of date labels, food waste behaviors, and the financial impact on Canadians. It found that approximately 30% of Canadians do not understand the meaning of best before dates, which have been used in Canada since 1976. Among those aged 45 and older, 28% also misinterpret these labels.

Best before dates indicate when a food product is expected to maintain its peak quality and taste when stored properly. The survey revealed that 63% of Canadians rely on these dates to determine if food is safe to eat, while 26% sometimes do, and 10% rarely consider them.

Commonly discarded items after their best before dates include mayonnaise-based deli salads, fish, chicken, pork, deli meats, smoked fish, and beef. Additionally, 52% of respondents throw away yogurt or dairy products past their best before dates, despite yogurt often remaining good for longer.

The survey also highlighted that 55% of participants would not serve food past its best before date to children or seniors. Furthermore, 63% of respondents discard food due to concerns about food poisoning. Among those surveyed, 78% prefer to buy items with the furthest best before dates while shopping.

Dot advises consumers to reconsider this habit. He suggested, "If you’re going to the grocery store tonight and you know you need to buy some yogurt and it’s for a specific recipe that you’re gonna do the same day or the following day then perhaps instead of buying the yogurt with the farthest best before date pick the one with the closest."

The study also revealed that the average Canadian household estimates it discards about $761 worth of food each year due to best before dates. Dot remarked, "It’s definitely a lot of money that can be saved every year for Canadians. Even when people know what a best before date means, there’s still quite a low risk tolerance."

To help reduce food waste, Dot recommends practical steps such as conducting a "sniff test," learning proper food storage techniques, and avoiding overbuying. He stated, "Once the product passes its date and it’s unopened, stored correctly according to what the manufacturer and the product recommended… then you can trust your senses to judge the food."

The survey has an estimated margin of error of plus or minus 2.2%, 19 times out of 20.