Food Waste Reduction

Pie chart showing what is wasted in Canadian houses. 2.2 million tonnes of edible food each year

One of the greatest ways we can help our environment is to reduce the amount of edible food we waste. In addition to taking up valuable space in landfills, wasting food wastes all the resources that went into making that food including:

water and fertilizer that went into growing the food
fuel and electricity to harvest, transport and store the food
land cleared to produce wasted food which results in habitat destruction and uses up land that could have been put to other uses.

Food Waste Tips & Resources

Reducing food waste can save a lot of time and money, here are some tips to get you started:

Image

1. Shop smart:
- Check what you already have at home - do you really need to go shopping today?
- Plan future meals to buy what you really need, check out: 10 Easy Meal Planning Tips to get started.
- Make a grocery list and stick to it!
2. Take regular inventories in your fridge, freezer and pantry to use up food before it gets too old:
- Keep close eye on fruits and vegetables which have a short shelf life.
- Find great recipes to make delicious meals with food you have on hand.
3. Store food with care:
- Remember “first in first out” and place older food to the front so it gets used first.
- Check out a wide range of Food Storage Tips.
- Some food store better in certain parts of the fridge, learn more with a Fridge Guide.
4. Serve smaller portions, can result in less plate scrapings and offering seconds is a

5. Use up those leftovers – pack them for lunch to save time and money with your meal preparation

Check out lovefoodhatewaste.ca for all kinds of tips on meal planning, keeping food fresh and creative recipes to use it all up.
When food is wasted, time and money are also lost. Retail food stores and food service in B.C. lose an estimated $1.3 billion worth of food per year! This is not only detrimental to the bottom line, it also has negative consequences on our environment and for local food security. The following resources can help your organization save money, protect the environment and improve local food security:
- BC Government has Food Waste Avoidance Toolkits for Food Service and Retail Sectors.
- BC Centre for Disease Control has Industry Food Donation Guidelines for businesses planning on making food donations.
- Several organizations are working to bring donors and recipients together to recover surplus food. These organizations include Food Mesh, Loop and Second Harvest. Find out about the about the North Okanagan Food Recovery Network.
- The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste Technical Report and Roadmap by Second Harvest
- Economic Tools to Reduce Household Waste and Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Smart Prosperity Institute
- National Food Waste and Loss Strategy by National Zero Waste Council
- JUST EAT IT, a Food Waste Story is a made in BC movie that looks into our fridges and at our systemic obsession with expiry dates, perfect produce and portion sizes, and reveals the core of this seemingly insignificant issue that is having devastating consequences around the globe. (now streaming across Canada on the Knowledge Network)
- Food Matters Action Kit is loaded with informative resources and hands-on, creative activities to inspire youth of all ages to prevent food waste at home, at school and in their communities. From organizing a Disco Soup party and learning food preservation techniques from elders to building worm composters and solar dehydrators, these activities are designed to encourage youth of all ages to start making a difference right now to prevent food waste.