Guest column: Costlier groceries could lead to more food-borne illness

By: Sylvain Charlebois

The intersection of rising food costs and consumer health and safety is emerging as a critical issue.

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Recent research from Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, in partnership with Caddle, an online consumer app, provides alarming insights into how financial pressures are influencing food safety behaviours among Canadians, with significant public health impacts.

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The study surveyed 9,109 Canadians, revealing that 58 per cent of respondents are more inclined to eat food near or beyond its “best before” date due to economic pressures from rising food prices.

This trend is not marginal but indicative of a broad shift in consumer behaviour driven by financial necessity. Alarmingly, 23 per cent of these individuals consistently consume such foods, and an additional 38.6 per cent do so frequently.

This risky behaviour has direct health consequences: 20 per cent of those surveyed reported sickness related to consuming food products past their “best before” date. The data becomes even more concerning among Millennials, where 41 per cent have experienced food-borne illnesses under similar circumstances.

This demographic detail not only underscores the vulnerability of younger consumers but also highlights a generational divide in risk exposure and financial stability. Despite these results being self-reported, the figures are alarmingly high.

Approximately 50 per cent of Canadians acknowledge that inflation has forced them to compromise on food safety, adopting strategies like freezing perishables or extending the usability of leftovers beyond typical safety margins. While these practices are resourceful, they can potentially lead to an increase in food-borne diseases, a concern substantiated by the reported incidences of illness.

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The implications of these findings extend beyond individual households, suggesting a systemic issue that intertwines economic policies with public health outcomes.

Although food spending at the grocery store has decreased compared to 2018 and 2019, possibly indicating that Canadians are wasting less food at home, this may also imply that they are taking greater risks with their health.

As Canadians adjust their eating habits to cope with financial pressures, the need for enhanced risk communication policies and informing the public about how to manage risks at home is more critical than ever. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency suggests that about four million Canadians contract a food-borne illness each year, a number that this report suggests may rise as food inflation becomes a widespread issue.

Food in Canada is generally safer compared to other nations. However, the consumer remains the most critical risk manager within the entire supply chain.

While expiry dates are non-negotiable, “best before” dates do not mean “bad after.” Nevertheless, consumers must carefully assess whether a product is safe to eat, considering their ability to cope with potential risks.

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Making the wrong decision could result in missing work and incurring additional costs. Perhaps, consumers someday will have access to home technology that can detect the safety level of the food they are about to eat in real time.

This research from Dalhousie University highlights an urgent need for policies that address the interplay between economic pressures and public health, emphasizing the necessity of robust consumer education on food safety in times of economic strain.

Sylvain Charlebois is a professor and senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor podcast.

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