November 20,2025
RED FM News Desk
A new Canadian study suggests we may be paying far too much attention to the dates printed on packaged foods — and wasting huge amounts of food as a result.
Commissioned by the surplus-food app Too Good To Go and conducted by Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, the study found that the average household throws out $761 worth of food each year because it has reached the date on the label. Of that total, $246 is wasted specifically due to confusion over best-before dates.
The findings are part of a broader effort to raise awareness about food waste in Canada and the misconceptions surrounding date labels. The survey shows many Canadians misunderstand what a best-before date actually means.
“One in five people confuses a best-before date with an expiry date,” says Nicolas Dot of Too Good To Go. “It really shows there’s a need for more education.”
A best-before date is not an expiry date; it simply indicates when a product is at peak freshness and flavour. Yet the study shows that up to 25 per cent of food waste in Canadian homes is tied to misunderstanding this date. Among younger Canadians, the confusion is even greater: 40 per cent of Gen Z respondents didn’t know what a best-before date means, and more than half regularly throw away food past the date even if it’s still edible.
In response, Too Good To Go launched its “Look-Smell-Taste” campaign last year, encouraging consumers to rely on their senses rather than automatically discarding food based on the date. Several brands — including Paz Bakery, Terry’s Chocolate, and Dr. Oetker — now use the Look-Smell-Taste label to help customers make informed decisions.
Despite the confusion, Dot notes that most Canadians want date labels to remain. A Dalhousie study from two years ago found that 60 per cent of consumers do not want companies to remove them.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says best-before dates are not required for products with a shelf life of more than 90 days.
Loading ...
