Best Before Dates

According Second Harvest, Canada's largest food rescue organization, Canadians waste approximately $58 billion dollars' worth of food each year, an estimated 13 hundred dollars per household due to confusion of best before dates and the fear of consuming inedible food. And at a time when the staggering cost of food is putting the squeeze on consumers, understanding the difference between expiry dates and best before dates is vitally important to protect your health and save money.Matt Faris is an environmental health manager with Lakelands Public Health, specializing in food safety and health hazards. He said the most important thing consumers need to know is that best before dates have nothing to do with food safety. He spoke to CanoeFM recently to say the confusion surrounding best before dates is causing consumers to throw food out that is still safe. In doing so, given the growing cost of food, they then spend more on groceries than they need to.