When I was a kid, I had an uncle who drove delivery trucks for Delisle, the company that eventually became Danone Canada. Every so often, he’d stop by our house with yogurt to give away because the best-before date was too close for grocery stores. Instead of throwing it out, the company allowed drivers to give the food away. I don’t think we ever paid for yogurt until he got promoted to an office job. Read MoreThe City of Ottawa is now encouraging folks to spend more time with their food. It’s time to remove the stigma surrounding best-before dates.
The City of Ottawa is now encouraging folks to spend more time with their food. It’s time to remove the stigma surrounding best-before dates.
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When I was a kid, I had an uncle who drove delivery trucks for Delisle, the company that eventually became Danone Canada. Every so often, he’d stop by our house with yogurt to give away because the best-before date was too close for grocery stores. Instead of throwing it out, the company allowed drivers to give the food away. I don’t think we ever paid for yogurt until he got promoted to an office job.
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Yogurt, I remember him telling us kids, is perfectly safe to eat at least a week past the best-before date. As long as it’s kept in the fridge, and provided it doesn’t smell funky or have blue fuzz on it, it’s totally fine.
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That memory came flooding back as I read that the City of Ottawa is now encouraging folks to spend more time with their food. It’s time to remove the stigma surrounding best-before dates. It’s better for the planet and for your wallet, too.
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Later in life, when my kids were little and a financial commitment resulted in us being strapped for cash for a few years, I had to learn to do more with less. I experimented with plant-based foods, making “patés” with lentils as well as organ meats and cooking everything from scratch. Over a decade later, the kids still shiver at any sentence that combines “rice” and “beans.” But it was necessary to make ends meet, a sacrifice that including eating food past, its best-before date.
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We still do, even though the budgetary situation has fortunately improved. Now I do it not only because I hate food waste, but also because we should learn to trust our senses instead of something stamped on a jar that’s mostly a guide for grocery stores anyway.
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As the City’s notice to residents explains, there are two kinds of dates on food. Best-before dates and expiry dates. Only the latter is something you should take literally. Expiry dates only apply to five categories of food: “formulated liquid diets, pharmacist-sold diet supplements, meal replacements, nutritional supplements and infant formula.”
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As a non-expert who’s learned a few food poisoning lessons the hard way, I’d also recommend being stringent with meat and eggs, as well as goat cheese that’s been in the fridge a little too long. I still have nightmares about that one.