by Lauren Davis
A year after an investigation by the CBC marketplace, Walmart says it has reduced its food waste by 20 per cent in Canada, per CBC.
“The fact is there’s always going to be some food waste and we’re trying to minimize that food waste as much as possible and essentially reduce the amount of food that needs to go for recycling,” said Walmart spokesperson Alex Roberton.
However, recently, an article written by the Huffington Post didn’t support the notion of corporate waste being the problem for Canada.
While corporate food waste definitely should be reduced, it is questionable how much of the edible food currently going into landfills could and would be salvaged if there was more donation of unsaleable products to food banks and other charitable food organizations, per Huffington Post.
In Canada, $31 billion worth of food ends up in landfills or composters each year and 47 per cent of food waste occurs in the home, according to a 2014 report from Value Chain Management International.
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay, said he wasn’t able to say whether reducing waste would be a priority in a possible upcoming food policy in an interview with CBC news.
“Food waste is part of the food policy that we’re going to deal with in the next year or two,” Lawrence MacAulay told CBC news.
Occupational health and safety student at Ryerson University, Sarah Basheer, was shocked to hear how much food was wasted in Canada.
“I really think that composting and recycling is a huge part in fixing the problem of food waste,” said Basheer. “Unfortunately I know of apartment buildings that don’t promote an organic waste bin, they only use the main garbage and maybe some will have a recycling bin.”
When discussing ways to possibly prevent food going into landfills, she began to laugh while explaining her way of solving the problem.
“I have a dog and usually the leftovers just go right to him,” said Basheer. “For example, when I go to a restaurant I usually bring my uneaten food home for my dog to finish.”
Ryerson University offers a service known as the Good Food Centre, which works to reduce the impacts of food insecurity for all Ryerson community members, according to its website.
A volunteer for the program, Sumayah Baker, recalled how the experience affected her feelings towards food waste in Canada.
“You see a lot of people who are obviously in debt and they are in need of food,” said Baker. “I remember some international students coming in because they weren’t able to sustain an income on the side for extra things like food. When you’ve seen the need for food and then realize how much is just being wasted it’s quite disappointing.”
Baker said that composting has become a smooth integration for her family. She said they started because her brother was aware of food waste, and wanted his family to invest in a compost.
“Honestly, in the beginning it was kind of an inconvenience because I had to think about what to throw in the compost and what not to throw in it,” said Baker. “Now I’ve just gotten used to it and I feel bad if I throw maybe egg shells in the actual trash.”
Although $31 billion dollars seems like a significantly high number, one student didn’t give it a second thought.
“I’m honestly not surprised,” said RTA student Karly Cywink. “It makes sense because I throw out food all the time and I know that I could probably eat it.”
Cywink made a reflection on her food wasting actions and decided to follow up.
“When I’m at a restaurant I usually just leave what I didn’t eat on the plate, but maybe I should start taking it with me,” said Cywink. “I think that’s going to have to be my plan from now on.”
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