A recent study from Dalhousie University in Halifax highlights that the average Canadian household discards approximately $761 worth of food each year due to confusion surrounding best-before and expiration dates. The research, conducted in collaboration with Too Good To Go, a company focused on reducing food waste, indicates that nearly one-third of this waste stems from misunderstandings about food labeling.

The study found that while three-quarters of survey respondents recognized that expiration dates indicate food that is likely unsafe to eat, 14% mistakenly believed it meant the food had simply passed its best quality. Additionally, 8% thought expiration dates were merely suggestions for retailers to stop selling the product. In contrast, the term "best before" suggests that food may have lost its optimal quality, but only 70% of respondents understood this. Alarmingly, 20% believed it indicated that the food was no longer safe to consume.

Chris MacAulay, vice president of North America operations for Too Good To Go, emphasized the need for better public understanding of these labels. He stated, "If 30% of people don’t know what best before means, and one in five think that best before is an expiration date, there is so much opportunity to simply improve people’s understanding."

Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, suggested a simpler method for determining food safety: "Look, smell, taste. Taste goes last. That’s basically it." This advice aligns with the "look-smell-taste" campaign launched by Too Good To Go, which promotes alternative "don’t waste" labels on various Canadian products.

Charlebois noted that our senses are designed to help us identify unsafe food. He advised consumers to inspect packaging for damage, check for discoloration, and use smell and taste to assess food quality. He cautioned that animal proteins, particularly meat and dairy, pose higher risks. "As soon as the container is open, as soon as the product is exposed to air, all bets are off," he said.

The study also revealed that best-before dates have increasingly appeared on products with long shelf lives, such as sugar and honey. Charlebois criticized this trend, calling it "the food version of planned obsolescence," and recalled seeing a best-before date on salt. Despite this, he found that most Canadians still prefer to have best-before dates on their food. "They buy food but they also buy time," he explained. "They reach out for products where the best-before date is as late as possible, so they can have inventory at home."

Inventory management practices among grocers also contribute to the prevalence of these dates. Charlebois noted, "Grocers love these dates because it’s easier to rotate inventory. There’s little or no appetite — no pun — to remove these dates."

MacAulay expressed a desire to improve labeling and consumer education rather than eliminate the system entirely. He acknowledged that confusion over best-before and expiration dates leads to food waste and economic loss. "We are working to simplify the approach for consumers," he said. He added that even for those hesitant to rely on their senses, significant reductions in food waste and financial savings are still achievable.

The survey included 1,084 participants aged 18 and older from across Canada and was conducted online.