Canadians More Likely to Eat Food Past Best-Before Date as Grocery Costs Rise, Study Finds

Customers leave a No Frills grocery store in Toronto on Nov. 23, 2023. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

The rise in grocery prices is pushing an increasing number of Canadians to eat food that has passed its best-before date, a new study surveying Canadian eating habits has found.

The consumption of potentially unsafe foods is directly linked to escalating prices at grocery stores, says Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics Lab professor Sylvain Charlebois, adding that many Canadians simply cannot afford to waste any food.

“As food prices climb, more Canadians are taking risks with their food safety,” said Mr. Charlebois, a well-known food distribution expert.

He described the trend as “concerning.”

“This behaviour, driven by economic necessity, exposes a critical vulnerability in our food system where food security and food safety intersect,” he added.

The food safety study found 58 percent of the 9,109 Canadians surveyed were willing to consume food close to or past its best-before date because of escalating costs. In fact, 23 percent of those who were willing to eat such food said they “always” do so, while nearly 39 percent “often” consume food under these conditions.

Nearly 31 percent “sometimes” eat food past its best-before date while only 7.5 percent rarely do so, the survey found.

“Nearly half of the Canadians who consume potentially risky food were uncertain about its safety,” the study noted. “A total of 48 percent were unsure whether eating such food might lead to illness.”

The study, which was broken down by age, asked Canadians if they believed they became sick after eating food that was on or past its best-before date within the past year.

Millennials were the most likely to report such an incident at 41 percent. That was followed by 24 percent for Generation X and 20 percent for Baby Boomers. Gen Z and Canadians born before 1946 had the least suspected expired food illnesses at 10 percent each.

Mr. Charlebois said addressing food affordability and issues stemming from the cost of groceries is “imperative ... to ensure that no Canadian must choose between economic hardship and their health.”

Canada’s 2024 Food Price Report, released in December by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab, predicted the price of groceries would increase by an average of $701.79 per family of four in the new year.

A model released earlier this month by the university’s lab is forecasting even higher prices for 2025. The model projected that Canadian wholesale food prices will rise 34 percent on average for all food categories next year.

The model predicted meat prices would surge 45 percent compared to 2022 prices, while dairy would rise by 41 percent. Baked goods would rise 35 percent, while fruit would go up 29 percent, and vegetables 8 percent, the model found. Other groceries would rise by 42 percent while the cost of a meal in a restaurant would jump 46 percent.

“Canadians aren’t ready for this, but need to be,” Mr. Charlebois said in an April 18 social media post referencing the forecast. “Pressures within the food industry are real.”