Best-before or expired? Concerns raised over expired food at Calgary Food Banks

If you have received a food bank hamper and are confused about the best-before dates on some of the non-perishable items, then you are not alone.

Some Calgarians, like Chong Chen, are wondering why they’re being given what looks to be expired food.

Chen is a student and mother who uses the Food Bank once a month. She says, regretfully, she had to throw away some food that appeared to be almost two years past expiry.

“Normally, I will keep some of the food that is close to the expiry date. But some of the food I got from the Food Bank is from a really, really long time ago, its like expired in 2021. So I don’t think if I return it, they can reuse it, so I just throw them,” she said.

Talking to CityNews, Shawna Ogston, the Communications and Media Relations Supervisor at the Calgary Food Bank, clarifies that non-perishable canned food does not expire in the same way other foods might. They have best-before dates that are flexible.

“One-hundred and sixty volunteers work here at the food bank, every day, that are creating hampers and sorting each and every donation that comes in to make sure that those canned and dry goods are of quality value, Ogston said.

“And part of that is the best-before date. So we are handing out items such as cans that may be one year past the best-before date, but they’re still viable, and there’s still nutritional value in them.”

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But Chong is not the only one who has concerns.

Responding to a Facebook post, Calgary’s Kayla Hancock says she throws away food hamper items that have gone bad and questions, “why food that is mouldy and has bugs in it is being given to families who are in need of food?”

We posed this question to Ogston at the Calgary Food Bank itself.

“We have a million pounds of food in our warehouse, but of course, mistakes can happen,” Ogston said. “We invite every person that has received a hamper, and they have these items, to contact us because we want to make sure that people are feeling valued and they’re getting quality pieces, and we’ll definitely replace them.”

Calgary Food Bank also requests donors to give food items that are not from the back of their pantry but when they are out shopping, just get an extra item to donate to those who are in need.