Best before dates and unsavoury comments

For some reason, some people felt the need to go off on a Hammonds Plains business for passing along a deal on some food that was at the edge of the "durable life date". Canadians have a habit of wasting food, and for owner Jacob Bussey to catch hell for helping is just distasteful.

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Well, maybe it's a generational thing, and we certainly notice it more with
our kids and their friends than amongour peers. And there are exceptions,
of course, but the people inmy in law's generation were much less concerned
over best before dates than the apparent. Won't touch it after crowded today,
And I'll admit there are times I'vetempted a gastro intestinal reaction on food in
the fridge that did pass the snifftest. I'm actually quite proud of how

(00:24):
I'm able to use up leftovers,or as I call them, prepared ingredients.
And by the time that cooked chickenor pork and the old potatoes or
rice in the back of the fridgeor mix was something out of the pantry,
you'd be hard pressed, I think, to know that it wasn't something
fridge fresh or freeze or found.Something I've done for years kind of part
of our meal prep, with mecooking several proteins at once to help save
us time through the week. Nowthere is a difference, though, when

(00:46):
it comes to some dairy products.I will cut a piece of mold off
a block of cheese, but Itend not to scrape it off the top
of a dish of sour cream thatjust kind of seems a little bit too
risky for my system. And thenthere's nothing more off putting than giving the
leader of milk the sniff test andthen seeing the kurdles rise to the top
and the mugg a tea again happenson occasion, But I still can't get

(01:07):
a taste for oat soy or anyother milk style beverage. And I'm not
all that shy about throwing the EatTonight selections in my cart as I'm wheeling
through the grocery store. I've neverbeen to Europe, but I certainly see
the appeal in buying whatever is abundantand local, if not always the freshest,
and the occasional discount meat product isalso landed in the basket and then
in the freezer when I get home. A lot of food experts will tell

(01:29):
you that's completely safe as long asyou rotate what's in the deep freeze,
and sometimes even that's a challenge.I did find a pre pandemic porkloin the
other day. Yeah, it wasstill good. However, a lot of
people repulse by the idea of usingold food. We have condiments and sauces
and jams that are years old inthe pantry, and every once in a
while we'll have to get something fresherfor our daughter and our partner. They're

(01:52):
in their mid twenties and they're kindof put off by something in a container
that might be off all. Itmay not be at it's optimum, but
seldom is there an issue with appearance, smell, or taste in our experience.
And I'm just cheap enough to tryand squeeze out the last of any
of the condiments in the fridge,regardless of the best before date. And
we do have a strong food safetyculture in Canada. A recent story at
Saltwire shows how people are interested inhaving this conversation, But going after the

(02:15):
owner of Kingswood Market and Hammond's planeseems a bit off to me. It
stinks that people are being critical ofhis decision to freeze a bunch of sandwich
meat and then offer it for saleat a deep discount. Well, some
of his customers were piling it upin their carts. Other people were piling
on to criticize them. But asone food distribution professor says, no one

(02:35):
has a gun to these people's heads. No one is forcing them to buy,
and owner Jacob Bussey says some peoplewere grateful they were thanking us because
they could feed their families for thenext few months. And despite what some
people are saying, selling something afterthe durable life date isn't illegal. But
the sour, spoiled and offensive thingssome people are saying is enough to turn
my stomach. I'm Sheldon McCloud forSaltwire