In a new study conducted by Second Harvest, it has been found that confusion regarding "best before" labels leads to the wastage of more than $12 billion worth of consumable food each year in Canada. Although consumers tend to think that these labels are meant to show the safety of their products, they actually point towards peak freshness, and in Canada, there are just five food items that have an expiry date (such as baby formula). This kind of misinterpretation leads to the loss of 1.6 million metric tons of food which could otherwise be saved in the face of increased demand for food banks due to the coronavirus pandemic.