Do you know “duraflation”? | The Press

Challenges along the supply chain, such as border closures, compromise the shelf life of food products at the point of purchase. If consumers are not careful, they can fall victim to “duraflation”.

By now, you may have heard of “reduflation”. A packaging strategy frequently used by large companies to voluntarily reduce quantities without changing the price. This has been going on for years and the consumer has the illusion of buying the same amount of the product when in fact it has decreased over time. However, the more recent phenomenon of “duraflation” (shelflation in English) occurs when supply chains do not function optimally and food products no longer taste as fresh as usual when they arrive at the retailer. They are sometimes a little overripe, depriving the buyer of some necessary shelf life at home.

According to a recent survey conducted by Dalhousie University, 63% of Canadians surveyed said they had thrown away food early, in the past six months, at least once. Based on food categories, the highest percentage was fruits and vegetables at 45%, followed by dairy products at 31%. Baked goods came third at 27% and meat was fourth at 17%. In dollar terms, based on the survey results, we estimate Canadians may have prematurely thrown away food at home for anywhere from $305 million to $545 million over the past six months. It is enormous !

Getting rid of products before the due dates can happen from time to time, but such a high frequency is rather unusual. Many Canadians have recently noticed that some of their favorite fruits and vegetables aren’t as fresh as they used to be and are ripening much earlier.

Snowstorms, labor shortages, supply problems related to certain ingredients or even packaging problems can affect perishable foods, pandemic or not. These days, we can’t help but think of blocked borders that are slowing down deliveries and thereby reducing the lifespan of food products that end up on your grocer’s shelves.

Duraflation is indeed becoming quite common and pandemics are not the only way to compromise the shelf life of a product. Delays due to weather, natural disasters (like the ones that hit British Columbia last year), labor disputes, mass recalls or equipment failures can disrupt the efficiency of a supply chain. ‘supply. The cold chains, maintained between 2 and 8°C, responsible for keeping perishable foods fresh from farm to store, can also fail for one reason or another. Mechanical breakdowns, obstacles outside the warehouse or abnormally hot temperatures can shorten the life of products or even damage them before a shipment reaches its destination.

Clearly, the pandemic has disrupted global food supply chains in several ways, so it should come as no surprise if “duraflation” is seen more often. Asking food businesses to operate with fewer staff eventually leads to delays along the way and, of course, more waste. Plus, household waste certainly contributes to increased food costs for everyone.

An average family of four spends about $14,000 on food per year and spends at least 50% of that total on perishables. Wasting a lot of it can be expensive.

The shelf life of a product is defined by the time that elapses between production and the expiry date. The shelf life of highly perishable foods is set rather conservatively to ensure food safety. Best before dates are fundamental to the very structure of our food system and modern technologies have worked wonders to extend the shelf life of many of our products. But there will always be unforeseen events.

Food waste is a major issue in our economy. In Canada, approximately 2.2 million tonnes of edible food are wasted each year. The most common causes of perishable food wastage at a retailer are excessive inventory, unpredictable consumer demand, inadequate quality control and product handling. Compounded by problems up the food chain, the perishability of food does not give traders much of a chance. Thus, placing blame solely on the retailer may be misplaced.

The freshness and quality of perishables obviously varies depending on where you live and where you shop, as some areas are better served than others. But unlike “reduflation”, “duraflation” can be avoided. Going to the grocery store once a week or every two weeks is not the best shopping tactic to go for right now. On the other hand, making two or three visits to the grocery store a week allows you to buy what you need for the next two or three days, which reduces waste. Adjusting to the effectiveness of taming chains can pay off.