The Calgary Food Bank takes food safety very seriously. We monitor the temperature of our fridges, freezers, and trucks, we have handwashing stations throughout the building, and Quat sanitizers are plentiful for clean workstations.
Many of us have done it: Find an unopened box of pasta at the back of the pantry, see that it’s past its best before date, and throw it in the trash or compost to be safe. But is that really necessary? “Best before” and other food labelling terms can cause confusion, and many are surprised to learn that best before dates are simply a guideline, not a rule set in stone.