Best Before Date

CBC’s Go Public visited 17 major grocery stores in the Vancouver area and found one-third had outdated cans of fish and seafood on their shelves.

Aren’t receivers supposed to check for proper date code on all goods upon receiving?Aren’t stocking staff supposed to rotate products? And check the date when pulling the old stock off the shelf and putting aside close-dated products for markdown?

I believe all major chains have the updated knowledge and the proper system to handle food. The accountable execution is what's lacking.

The Best Before Date should be easy for consumers to read. CFIA has a date marketing format standard in their food labeling guideline.

Here is an example:

Best before
12 JN 28
Meilleur avant

FYI, all products from The Rice People are properly date-coded and 100 per cent traceable.

Canned food manufacturers say after the best before date, the taste, texture and nutritional value deteriorates. Unless the can is damaged, it is still safe to eat, indefinitely.

No such luck for rice! The infestation can contaminate the whole shelf and require deposal and infestation-proof cleaning. It can also contaminate the customer’s pantry for costly compensation claim.

Of course, consumers should also take the responsibly to rotate food in their pantry properly.