Canadians’ 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 calls for Canada to 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.
“There’s a lot of confusion around what food labels mean,” Kate Parizeau, a professor at the University of Guelph who
