Food Protection Trends - July/August 2023 - 353

to minimizing food waste to contribute to sustainable
development (15). Among causes of food waste identified at
the household level in developed countries are expectations
about aesthetics, expiration dates, and shopping and eating
habits (15). Addressing these areas could directly impact
the 12th goal of the Sustainable Development Goals,
" Responsible Production and Consumption, " by targeting
how consumers utilize and make decisions surrounding their
choice to throw away food.
Household waste
Because 75% of food waste occurs at the consumer level
in the United States (9), this indicates that there is an
opportunity to change behavior at the consumer level to
combat food waste. For individuals, the annual cost of food
waste in the United States is $1,300 - more than is spent
annually on gas, home heating and electricity, property
taxes, and household maintenance, repairs, and insurance,
respectively (4). With inflation at a 40-year high, food prices
are exceeding expectations, with a 10.3% increase in 2022
(1). It is expected that, in 2023, a family of four will spend
$16,288.41; food waste could increase this figure if families
rebuy items and waste food they have bought (13). The 2022
National Zero Waste Council study on household food waste
in Canada found that 63% of the food Canadians threw away
could have been consumed, and the average food waste per
year (140 kg) cost households over $1,300 per year, similar
to the numbers from the United States (16).
Food affordability is increasingly an issue, with 1.5 million
visits to food banks last year in Canada alone; with food costs
rising, 20% of Canadians reported that their household would be
likely or very likely to use either a food bank, community center,
or other access point in the next 6 months to get food or meals
(6, 21). The additional costs that families and individuals incur
as a result of food waste impacts their ability to spend on other
necessities like housing, electricity, health care, and insurance.
HISTORY OF " BEST BEFORE " DATES
Prior to 1906 in the United States, when the Food and
Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were passed, there
were no national food safety regulations (22). In the 1970s,
consumers became more concerned with the freshness of
food; in response, stakeholders within the food industry,
government, and public interest sector explored what was
then known as open dating - a system that uses a date
label (with month, day, and year) in a format that is clear
to consumers (14). A 1975 survey found that 89% of
respondents were in favor of this system, and another survey
found that 95% considered it " the most useful consumer
service for addressing product freshness " (14). By 1973, 10
states had adopted laws or regulations that required open
dating for certain food products. The federal government
began to increase its interest in date labeling, and, in 1975,
the Government Accountability Office issued a report
advocating for a uniform date labeling system. At least 10
bills were introduced between 1973 and 1975 to institute
a uniform open code dating system nationwide; although
none passed, grocers were already voluntarily labeling foods.
In 1999, a Food Freshness Disclosure Act was introduced,
and similar bills from 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2008
were reintroduced that would require application of uniform
freshness dates on food; however, none passed (17).
In Canada, the history of food safety, or " best before "
dates, dates back to the basic policy infrastructure of the food
system that came from the Inland Revenue Act of 1875 and
the Adulteration Act of 1884. This became the Food and
Drugs Act and early versions of the Pest Control Products
Act (7). However, Canada, like most industrial countries,
has not had a coherent or integrated national food policy
(18). In 1998, Canada's Action Plan on Food Security was
adopted but was later aborted because it had conflicting
social, economic, and environmental priorities (18). In
2002, separate from the Action Plan on Food Security, the
federal, provincial, and territorial governments agreed to an
agricultural policy framework with five pillars, including risk
management, environment, food safety, innovation, and rural
renewal. However, this approach still failed to address the full
issues that needed to be included in a national food policy,
and it did not adequately address health, social, and cultural
issues beyond those linked to food safety (18).
In essence, Canada's food safety culture is reflected in the
attitudes and behaviors of its citizens, who place a high value
on the safety and quality of their food. This is reflected in
the country's strong tradition of food safety education and
awareness-raising initiatives, which aim to educate consumers
about the importance of food safety and how to minimize
the risk of foodborne illness. Canada's food safety culture is
characterized by a commitment to protecting public health
through comprehensive regulation, collaboration among
stakeholders, and ongoing education and awareness-raising
efforts. That culture has arguably driven the country's
reliance on labels and " best before " dates on packages.
" Best before, " " use by, " and expiration dates
In current policy, the Government of Canada outlines the
differences between forms of date labeling on prepackaged
foods. " Best before " dates indicate the durable life date, that
is, the freshness, taste, nutritional value, or qualities claimed
by the manufacturer; " best before " dates are not indicators of
food safety (2). An expiration date is the date after which the
compositional and nutritional specifications of the product
might not be met (2). Expiration dates are necessary only on
formulated liquid diets, foods represented for use in lowenergy
diets, meal replacements, nutritional supplements,
and human milk substitutes. The FDR states that other terms
may be used in place of " best before " as long as they are not
misleading; these could include " sell by, " " prepared on, "
" freeze by, " or " manufactured on " dates.
July/August Food Protection Trends 353
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