I saw an article about how Canadians don’t understand best-before dates, which leads to more food waste. That’s likely true. I’m not 100% sure what some dates on a label mean. For starters, does 6/11/18 mean the 11th of June or the 6th of November? I always thought traditionally, Canada has used day/month/year while the U.S. uses month/day/year, but I also see the American way used sometimes in Canada. And is a best-before date the same as an expiry date? I believe the answer is no. A best-before date doesn’t mean you shouldn’t or can’t consume it afterward. I’m more leery if it says expiry but even then I’m not entirely certain whether something past a stamped expiry date means it’s not safe afterward. Maybe it depends on what food and whether it’s fresh, frozen or canned. Apparently in Europe and the United States, terms such as “use by” or “tastes best by” are being used to help clarify the issue. Research says Canadians are among the biggest food wasters in the world and almost half that waste happens at home. We should figure out how to cut that way down and use or donate more of what we toss out. One thing I’ve never figured out is milk. The containers have best-before dates on them and you should see me gingerly taking the top off and warily sniffing the contents if it’s the day of or beyond. Sometimes it still smells and tastes fresh up to a week later but once in a while right on the best-before date I’ve had my olfactory sense mightily assailed with the stench of spoiled milk which doesn’t have many equals.
That’s Coffeetalk. I’m Vic Dubois.