I do my best to engage in conscious shopping practices. By shopping for fewer items and going for second-hand, I reduce waste, save money, and engage more with local businesses. A motivation for these shopping habits is reducing food waste, especially considering that according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations the food that wasted globally could feed 1.26 billion people each year. A popular eco-conscious app I’ve discovered is “Too Good to Go,” marketed as the world’s “largest marketplace for surplus food.” Founded about a decade ago in Denmark, the app allows local businesses and shops to sell food that is close to or slightly past their “best before date.” Â
According to the Too Good to Go website, more than 350 million food baskets have been saved through the app. This food would otherwise likely be discarded, contributing to a food waste epidemic. Montreal boasts a map brimming with businesses offering meals, grocery baskets, and even bubble tea all for at least a 50% discount. A favourite of mine is a produce basket from my local grocery store, where I am able to save up to 15lB produce for only eight dollars. The only downside is that these baskets are occasionally filled with a few bad apples. Literally.Â
Choosing whether or not to eat or toss fruit that looks uninviting made me consider how our perceptions of what fresh food is might influence our decisions to eat or discard. We balance the need to eat food that is appealing and healthy with a need to reduce food waste.Â
An urban legend claims that food expiration date practices began in the 1930s in America when the Capone family lobbied for expiration date policies after a family member got sick from a bad glass of milk. Today, food label regulations can be confusing with a plethora of terms that can confuse the public about whether it is safe to consume an item after the date on the package.Â
Health Canada regulates the way that dates can be used on food labels. “Best before/meilleur avant” dates can be accompanied by “packaged on” dates and are used for foods that have a shelf life of less than 90 days and are labeled with storage instructions. Best before dates are determined by manufacturers or retailers and are a guideline for how long food is expected to retain “wholesomeness, taste, nutritional value, and any other qualities.” Notably, the “best before” date does not provide specific information about food safety and it’s possible to eat food after this date, while acknowledging it might be less nutritious and appealing.Â
“Expiration dates” are different from “best before” dates and are required for foods which have specific nutritional specifications that might be compromised after a certain date, such as meal replacements. According to the Government of Canada, food should not be eaten past its expiration date.Â
Best before dates can be understood as a manufacturer’s best guess at when the food will lose appeal, not a definitive date after which food should be discarded. How we store and our ingredients will also impact spoilage rates. Generally, dry ingredients such as dried legumes, spices, and oils spoil very slowly. When there’s a concern that fresher items such as bread or produce will go bad soon, freezing it is a great way to slow spoilage. Additionally, studies of the nutritional content of produce have found that most vitamin content stays at a comparable level after freezing. Consider stretching your perceptions about what food to save and throw out- you may find yourself being more creative in the kitchen and watch your grocery bill go down. And remember that fruit with imperfections and day-old bread is perfectly fine to enjoy.
Paige is a Â鶹Çř Masters of Science student studying Epidemiology with a focus on exercise and ovarian cancer.
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