A 2019 report by Second Harvest estimated that Canada wastes 58% of food production, equivalent to 35.5 million tonnes. The report by this Toronto-based agency, which redistributes surplus food to those in need, highlighted that almost 5 million tonnes of food, valued at $21 billion, is lost during manufacturing and processing. Second Harvest CEO Lori stated\u00a0 that we as Canadians need to change our value of food immediately, pointing out that \u201cthe abundance of food we produce has led us to dismiss its intrinsic value.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The numbers have only increased in the years since. The value of overall food waste in Canada is estimated at a staggering $49 billion, sufficient to feed every Canadian for five months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2022, the National Zero Waste Council reported that 63% of the food Canadians throw away could have been eaten. For Canada as a whole, the amount of edible food wasted per year amounts to 2.3 million tonnes, costing Canadians over $20 billion! Studies show that the most common food items wasted are fruits and vegetables. The report outlines what is wasted every day in Canada, putting these horrifying statistics into perspective:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Causes\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n The value of overall food waste in Canada is estimated at a staggering $49 billion, sufficient to feed every Canadian for five months. But what causes such a grotesque phenomenon to occur on a national level? Reports by various agencies, including Second Harvest and the National Zero Waste Council, outline several root causes behind avoidable food loss and waste. At the consumer level, overbuying, misinterpretation of expiration dates, and a preference for visually appealing products lead to high annual household food waste. Retail practices, driven by strict cosmetic standards and anticipation of demand, result in the rejection of imperfect items and overstocking. Supply chain inefficiencies, poor handling practices, and excess production, and lack of food and waste handling infrastructure contribute to significant losses of edible food. Studies suggest that better planning and awareness could prevent 60% of food waste in Canada. A significant portion of food is discarded unnecessarily before or after “best-before dates” due to the misconception that it becomes unsafe to consume, when in reality, these dates often indicate prime freshness rather than safety. The value of overall food waste in Canada is estimated at a staggering $49 billion, sufficient to feed every Canadian for five months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Environmental Impact\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Food waste creates a deadly cycle that threatens the environment with every passing day. Each year, 56.million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions are created by food waste in Canada. Food in landfills creates methane gas, a deadly greenhouse gas that is 25 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide. According to <\/span>Love Food Hate Waste<\/span><\/i>, annual avoidable food waste in Canada has an impact equal to 2.1 million cars and 9.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In addition to greenhouse gases, the production and disposal of wasted food squander valuable resources such as water, energy and agricultural inputs.<\/span><\/p>\n What Can We Do?<\/b><\/p>\n For the everyday Canadian, there are numerous ways to help reduce food waste in the country. In order to reduce Canada\u2019s food waste, changes must be made in different aspects of daily life:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mindful Shopping\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Storage Practices\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Meal Planning and Preparation\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Plant Your Own\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Donate Surplus Food\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Composting<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Educational Initiatives<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Support Sustainability\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Community Engagement\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n If everyone does their part, a change can be made at a countrywide level.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Written By: Zahra Edited By: Kiritika Rana Designed By: Eshika Hiremath Published By: Tvisha Lakhani The Crisis In the heart of a nation known for its abundance and rich agricultural landscapes, Canada grapples with a significant challenge – food waste. Every year, millions of tonnes of food are discarded, contributing not only to economic losses […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[25,27],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12957"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12957"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12966,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12957\/revisions\/12966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/yfs-food-waste-article-pic-1-300x199.png\")
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