Food Protection Trends - July/August 2023 - 352

GENERAL INTEREST PAPER
Mitigating Food Waste - Are " Best Before " Dates Past
Their Due Dates?
Sylvain Charlebois,* Andrea Rankin, and Janet Music
Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Dalhousie, 6100 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia B2X 2T5, Canada
SUMMARY
Food waste is becoming an increasingly popular topic,
and the conversation surrounding the need for " best
before " dates is also gaining interest globally. With a few
exceptions, there is no requirement for " best before " dates
on many food products in many countries. In this article,
the links between " best before " dates and food waste, as
well as climate implications and consumer implications, will
be explored. The article also explores the history of food
safety and " best before " dates and the current use of these
food labeling practices in Canada, the United States, and
the United Kingdom. Based on the limited requirements
for " best before " date labeling across several jurisdictions
and the implications that accompany high levels of food
waste, there is an opportunity to address current policy for
food labeling that can address these issues. Further research
should look at how policy could be used to create greater
awareness of what " best before " or " use by " dates indicate
and should consider policy changes to remove labels from
certain foods that do not currently require " best before "
dates, such as fresh, uncut produce.
OVERVIEW
The labeling of dates on food in Canada for prepackaged
foods with a durable life of 90 days or less has been a standard
practice dating back to 1974 (8). During this time, there have
been significant changes to the Food and Drug Regulations
(FDR) surrounding labeling ingredients; currently, under
the FDR, certain consumer prepackaged foods must contain
a " best before " date or a " packaged-on " date if packaged at
retail, in addition to the durable life. However, consumers
misunderstand what the date on packaged food indicates
(13). They mistakenly perceive food label dates as indicators
of the food's safety; however, in many cases, the dates are set
by producers to indicate the quality or freshness of an item.
This contributes to food waste in households. In the United
States between 30 and 40% of the food supply is wasted; at
least 75% of this loss occurs at the retail and consumer level
(9). By comparison, 10%, or 88 million tonnes, of food waste
in the European Union is linked to date marking (10).
Food waste is an important topic in food policy because
it has implications from both a climate and a consumer
perspective. Food waste can contribute to greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions in two ways: the decomposition of
wasted food after disposal in landfills and the impact from
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352 Food Protection Trends July/August
the emissions that come with the production, processing,
transportation, and retailing of food that is ultimately wasted
(25). In the United States, avoidable food waste accounts
for at least 113 million metric tonnes of CO2
annually, equal
to 2% of national emissions. From a consumer perspective,
food waste can contribute to household costs and negatively
impact household budgets. It is predicted that a family of four
will spend $16,288.41 on food in 2023 (1). In the United
States, the average individual wastes approximately 1 pound
of food per day, and, on average, 25% of the daily food budget
is spent on food that ends up being wasted. Overall, this
accounts for $1,300 spent annually on wasted food (4).
In this article, we further explore the links between " best
before " dates and food waste, as well as the implications this
waste creates for the climate and consumers. This article
will then explore the use of " best before " dates by looking at
their history, the use of " use by " and " best before " dates, and
consumer behaviors in response to these indicators. Overall,
the aim of this article is to challenge the current use of " best
before " dates and see a way forward for Canada in its use of
" best before " dates to mitigate food waste by consumers.
FOOD WASTE
Climate implications
The well-documented impacts of food production and
food consumption on climate change are a highly discussed
topic in food policy. As countries work to reduce GHG
emissions and meet climate targets, all avenues for achieving
these goals should be explored. Canada's 2030 Emissions
Reduction Plan sets a goal of reducing emissions by 40%
below 2005 levels and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050
(10). In Canada, 2.3 million tonnes of avoidable food waste,
the equivalent of 6.9 million tonnes of CO2
, or 2.1 million
cars on the road (16), contributes to GHG emissions. Food is
also wasted significantly in the food service industry (3).
Wasted food contributes to climate change at several
points, as it decomposes in landfills and as it is transported
to a landfill (25). As food breaks down in landfills, it releases
methane; the impact of this GHG on climate change is 21
times greater than that of carbon dioxide (19). In a recent
UK report, an estimated 2 million tonnes of food that could
have been eaten was instead thrown away (19).
In 2015, 193 members of the United Nations set out
the Sustainable Development Goals. One of the goals was
environmental protection, and some countries have looked
Author for correspondence. Phone: +1 902.222.4142; Email: sylvain.charlebois@dal.ca

https://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/jul-aug-23-Charlebois.pdf

Food Protection Trends - July/August 2023

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