A recent study conducted by the Walmart Foundation shed some light on just how much food Canadians are wasting; the numbers are nothing short of appalling.
It has been stated that 58 percent of food produced in Canada from start to finish is being discarded annually. To put this in better perspective, it equates to feeding every single Canadian for five consecutive months.
There are signs that this is systemic in nature and is starting right from the initial production of the food. Produce isn’t being fully harvested due to lack of workers; crops will be purchased and then cancelled, resulting in the plowing of fields; best-before dates are encouraging retailers to eliminate products far before they are unfit for consumption. 43 percent of the total food wasted in Canada is due to processing and manufacturing.
The average Canadian household isn’t off the hook just yet. 21 percent of food waste comes from Canadian homes, which, to me, is still a disgusting number.
I myself am guilty of contributing to this number; as a chef, I’m used to cooking in large batches, so translating that to cooking for my daughter and myself can be a task in itself. This means overportioning, excessive leftovers, and, ultimately, food waste. When looking at the amount of food insecurity across the country, I’m left pondering better solutions.
British Columbia is the most food-secure province but still measures in at 10.2 percent of households facing the struggle of food insecurity. More remote places such as Nunavut come in at a staggering 50.8 percent of households being food insecure. Over half of all food in Canada is being discarded, yet over half of the population of Nunavut doesn’t know if they will have their next meal. Systemically, there must be a better approach to this—we as Canadian citizens can play our part in our homes, but ultimately it must come down to stricter food policies from our government on manufacturers and producers.
Finally, I am going to challenge myself as well as all of you reading this. Food waste will happen, but we can try to limit just how much—if not for our own sake, then for the sake of those who do not have this luxury.