Fifty Percent of Food is Wasted?

Fifty Percent of Food is Wasted? - theHumm March 2022

By David Hinks

I find it shocking to read reports revealing that as much as fifty percent of the food we grow is wasted. As someone deeply concerned about the level of food insecurity in our society, I find this level of waste totally incongruous in a country where one family in eight grapples with food insecurity.

Not only is this a bad news story vis-à-vis food security — there are also major negative effects for our climate emergency. The resources — water, fuel, chemicals and human effort — that are used to grow this food are wasted. But a much more insidious impact is what happens to those millions of tonnes of food waste that go to landfill. Food waste eventually breaks down and produces methane — a powerful greenhouse gas.

This seems to me to be such a “no-brainer” — let’s be better stewards of the food we produce; let’s direct more of it to those who need it; and let’s keep any waste food out of landfill. End result? Reduction in food insecurity and hunger and a reduction in greenhouse gas production.

So where in the food chain is all this food wasted? Estimates in various studies are all over the map — one surprising study calculated that almost half of the waste takes place in the home of consumers; waste on the farm is 10%; processing, transportation and distribution another 25%; and retail 10%.

Certainly one can quibble over definitions and methodology and what the actual percentage might be, but the inescapable truth is that a criminal amount of food waste takes place. Given my penchant for voraciously consuming detective novels, I decided to do a bit of sleuthing on the local level to grapple with who is guilty of all this waste.

I started my investigation by talking to local vegetable growers and a couple of food retailers in Mississippi Mills.

Vegetable farmers Scott and Marissa of Indian Creek Orchard Gardens commit to supply over 200 clients with a weekly veggie box. In order to guarantee this, they have to plant a fair number of extra plants to ensure the boxes will be full (given the vagaries of Mother Nature). So what do they do with any extra produce? Their first option is to sell it at the Almonte Farmers’ Market, their second is to donate to the Lanark County Food Bank, their third is to feed it to their chickens, and the final option is to compost it on their land. Bottom line? None of the food produced goes to landfill!

Sharon at Dandelion Foods states that produce that is approaching its “best before” date is marked down to half-price; if that strategy doesn’t work, a weekly donation is made to the Lanark County Food Bank; and produce that is too far gone is sent to a local farmer for his pigs. Basically, no produce goes to landfill!

Guido from Patrice’s Your Independent Grocer has a similar approach. Food that is close to its “best before” date is put on the fifty percent shelf, regular donations are made to the Food Bank, and the remaining food waste is directed to an in-house system (ORCA) that digests food waste into a liquid that is directed to the municipal waste treatment plant. Again, none of the food waste goes to landfill.

For its part, the Lanark County Food Bank is always happy to receive food donations. As you might imagine, donations are not always at the peak of quality. Expired products are discarded; however, this affects very few products — mainly baby formula and meal supplements (such as Boost or Ensure). Karen notes that “best before” dates are relatively arbitrary — Food Banks Canada advises that food can be handed out that is up to a year past its “best before” date. About two to three percent of all the food donated becomes food waste — it is donated to farmers to feed their pigs and goats.

I am led to conclude from this investigation that the perpetrators are you and me! As in any investigation, it is important try to find a motive. Perhaps we have a tendency to stockpile, take advantage of great bargains on a truckload of salad at Costco, not store food appropriately (pretty easy to freeze some), find it too much of a bother to donate to food banks, don’t take the time to sort food waste from other garbage, or just lose track of leftovers in the fridge.

My spouse and I, on a fairly regular basis, have a discussion over whether leftovers that have been carefully stored in plastic containers in the fridge pass the sniff test. Fortunately, her “sniffer” is much more sensitive than mine.

Many consumers are confused by best before dates and automatically toss food as it approaches that date. However, this only refers to the quality of the food when it will be at peak quality — food does not necessarily become unsafe after the best before date! Of course, this does not apply to perishable foods such as meats and dairy that must be eaten, refrigerated or frozen when you get home from the store.

Food waste does not belong in landfill — it will generate methane gas, which is one of the worst greenhouse gases. With few exceptions (such as meat and dairy), most waste food can be safely composted. If you are not comfortable composting yet, there is a lot of help out there — workshops, lectures or even YouTube videos!

If you don’t have a backyard with room for a compost bin, you might consider lobbying your landlord or your local municipal council to set up a composting program, or perhaps suggest sharing a composter with a friend who has a backyard.

Michael Neelin —The Art of Appreciating Your Surroundings - theHumm March 2022

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

When you can’t decide which you enjoy more — creating your art or doing your job — you’ve made some exceptionally wise decisions in your life. Residential designer and illustrator Michael Neelin of McDonalds Corners would be hard pressed to pick between the two. Neelin capitalizes on his exceptional drawing abilities in both pursuits, and both tie in with his passion for sharing the natural beauty and rich architectural heritage of the Ottawa Valley.

As a gift......

Fifty Percent of Food is Wasted? - theHumm March 2022