Quebecers are discarding significant amounts of edible food because of confusion over best before dates, according to a new study from Too Good To Go and Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab.
The study found Quebec households throw out about $604 worth of food each year due to date labels, including $290 linked specifically to misunderstandings about best before dates, higher than the national average of $246.
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Only two per cent of Quebecers ignore the date when buying food, and the issue is most common among Generation Z, 40 per cent of whom do not know what the date means.
Nationally, confusion over best before dates contributes to one-quarter of household food waste, even though the label signals quality and not safety.
Too Good To Go’s Look-Smell-Taste initiative, launched in 2024, encourages consumers to trust their senses instead of relying solely on date labels.
“At Too Good To Go, we want to put the issue of food waste at the centre of public discussion,” said Chris MacAulay, vice-president of operations for Too Good To Go North America.
Professor Sylvain Charlebois of Dalhousie says educational efforts remain key.
“Our study shows that, despite improved understanding of date labels, the best before date remains the primary factor for consumers in deciding whether food is eaten or discarded, which shouldn’t be the case for products carrying this label,” said Charlebois.
