A federal law that has been in place for many decades, which requires labels on food with best before dates, is currently being reviewed for possible changes..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the Department of Agriculture has indicated it generally supports the idea of eliminating best before dates, especially as Canadians deal with rising food costs..“The government supports in principle this recommendation,” the department wrote the Commons Agriculture committee. “Possible regulatory changes” were considered..In 1976, the parliament changed the Food and Drugs Act to require labelling of 'durable life date on pre-packaged foods with a shelf life of less than 90 days..At the time, the department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs called it part of a “vigorous program for legislative reform.”.Professor Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab, previously testified an increasing number of Canadian families are purchasing discounted food items that have reached their expiration dates..“People are paying close attention to the food they buy,” Charlebois told an October 26 Agriculture committee hearing..“People now buy more of their food at the last minute,” said Charlebois. .“More and more food is being sold after it’s ‘best before’ date. That is because the cost of food is increasing.”.The prices of food keep going up faster than the general inflation rate. According to Statistics Canada's latest update on the Consumer Price Index, Canadians were paying 9% more for items such as chicken, 11% more for sugar and 12% more for beef compared to the previous year..No witness at the Agriculture committee specifically sought repeal of the 1976 law. However, the committee, in a June 13 report Grocery Affordability: Examining Rising Food Costs in Canada, said regulators should “address food waste by investigating how the elimination of ‘best before’ dates on foods would impact Canadians.”.In a new response to the report, the Agriculture department said it agreed. “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Department of Health are working together to improve consumer education related to date labelling on pre-packaged foods,” it wrote..“The Agency will continue updating its website to better educate consumers on ‘best before’ dates and to clarify they are an indicator of a food’s freshness and quality, not safety,” it wrote. .“It will also update the analysis related to possible regulatory changes based on feedback from a targeted Health Canada questionnaire on potential food regulatory initiatives, which includes questions on stakeholders’ perception of ‘best before’ dates.”.The review follows a June 28 report from the Department of Health that groceries are so costly most families cannot afford the recommended minimum daily servings of fresh fruit and vegetables under the Canada Food Guide. Only 30% of Canadians eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, it said..“Not only are some nutritious foods more difficult to find, they can also be more expensive,” said the report Evaluation of the Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion. .“There has been a decline in the consumption of fruits and vegetables.”
