Canadians more likely to eat food past best-before date. What are the risks?

A new report found 58 per cent of Canadians said they were more inclined to eat food near or past the best-before date due to higher food prices.

Grocery price inflation may finally be slowing across Canada, but as some food costs remain high, a new report has found many are open to consuming “risky foods” despite the potential health risks.

The report, set to be released Thursday by Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab but provided to Global News in advance, found 58 per cent of respondents said higher prices made them more inclined to eat food close to or past its best-before date. About 37 per cent said their consumption habits haven’t changed.

Among those who said they would potentially eat such foods, 23.1 per cent said they always do so, while 38.6 per cent said they often eat food past its best-before date or are overripe, with a further 30.8 per cent doing the same sometimes. Just 7.5 per cent said they rarely consume food under these conditions.

“So you can tell that food inflation really has push(ed) Canadians to think differently about food,” the lab’s director, Sylvain Charlebois, told Global News. “Not only that, it has pushed Canadians to manage risks, food safety risk at home very differently as well. Food is now an asset and you don’t want to throw it out, if you can utilize it in a way.”

Food scientist Keith Warriner at the University of Guelph said unlike expiration dates, best-before dates are more the company’s “best guess” as to when quality starts to deteriorate.

There are some foods that can be eaten safely even past that date, he says, including dry and canned foods, chips, cured meats and acidic dressings.

Foods like bread, meat, milk and cheese fall more into a category of being able to be eaten but must be done so with caution, Warriner adds. Seafood, deli meats and even leftovers after five days, though, should be avoided, amid concerns of bacteria and other potential dangers that could grow on them over time.

A good way of determining whether foods can be eaten past their date is by using your own senses. If it smells or looks bad it may be best to toss it.