Victoria, BC - Canadian households throw away billions of dollars’ worth of edible food every year and a big part of the problem is hiding in plain sight: Best Before Dates. These dates are often mistaken for expiration dates, but they’re really about food quality, not safety. Most foods are still safe to eat well past their best before date if they’ve been stored properly and show no signs of spoilage.
Food waste has major economic and environmental impacts. According to the Capital Regional District’s 2022 Waste Composition Study, about 10% of all waste sent to Hartland Landfill is avoidable food waste. On a national scale, the average Canadian household discards $1,300 worth of edible food each year, contributing to a total of $12.4 billion in food waste across the country.
When you waste food, you also waste resources like water, energy, and transportation, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions when food ends up in landfills.
How to assess food safety
- Use your senses. If the packaging is intact and there’s no off smell, mold, or discoloration, and the food has been stored correctly, it’s likely still safe to eat.
- Foods that are likely to spoil (such as dairy products and ready-to-eat products) should be eaten as quickly as possible.
- Keep perishables below 4°C, frozen items below –18°C.
- Avoid leaving food in the “danger zone” (between 4°C and 60°C) for more than two hours.
The Love Food Hate Waste campaign provides practical tools to help households reduce waste, including webinars, interactive challenges, and downloadable guides. Learn more about how to properly interpret best before dates and assess food quality at lovefoodhatewaste.ca.
