Over 11m Tonnes of Edible Food Waste Created Each Year : Second Harvest Report: 58% of Canada’s Food Goes to Waste
Nearly 60% of food produced in Canada, amounting to 35.5 million metric tonnes, is lost and wasted annually. Of that, 32% or 11.2 million tonnes is avoidable and edible food and could be redirected, according to a new report funded by the Walmart Foundation.
The research found that the total financial value of this potentially reusable lost and wasted food is a staggering $49.46 billion. The findings are the result of a year-long research project undertaken by Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organisation, and Value Chain Management International, a public and industry voice in the area of food waste.
The report is said to be the first to use front-line, primary data from the entire food supply chain. It is also the first to create a standardized system of measurement that can be used by any food business – in Canada and globally – to track and reduce their food loss and waste.
“There is no social, environmental or business case for food waste, and yet it has become standard operating procedure in the food industry, not just in Canada but globally,” said Lori Nikkel, CEO, Second Harvest. “But with this research, we all now have the data and the tools to transform this crisis into a triple-bottom-line win across the value chain.”
Based on responses from more than 700 food industry leaders across Canada, The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste identifies approximately 30 root causes of food loss and waste, including:
The acceptance of waste by the food industry as the cost of doing business, a belief sustained by low tipping and landfill fees
Conservative best before dates that lead to industry and consumers throwing away food that is still safe and edible
Pressure on producers to provide 100% on-shelf availability and aesthetic perfection, particularly with fruits and vegetables, leading to over-production
Reluctance in the food industry to donate safe, edible surplus food despite Good Samaritan legislation that already exists to facilitate donation.
The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste also provides more than 100 actions for industry, industry organisations and government to begin to quantify food loss and waste, address the negative economic and environmental impacts, and support community food programs.
“There is more than enough food produced in Canada and the world that no one ever needs to be hungry. This report provides us with concrete solutions that will allow food to get to those who need it,” said Nikkel.
The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste is available as a solution-focused Roadmap and a 122-page Technical Report HERE
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