New partnership will create a local food recovery network
Farm & Food Care Prince Edward Island in partnership with the City of Charlottetown, is taking action to help address food waste and food insecurity by creating a local food recovery network. The goal is to divert surplus food from producers, wholesalers, and retailers to local organizations, such as food banks and soup kitchens.
It is estimated that 58% of the food produced in Canada is wasted or lost somewhere along the food supply chain. This loss represents a missed opportunity to promote food security and wastes the natural resources used to grow, process and distribute food. Furthermore, rotting food generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. As a result, food waste is thought to be responsible for 8 to 10% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
“I am very pleased to be working alongside Second Harvest and Farm & Food Care to deliver surplus food to organizations who need it, while also cutting down on our food waste here in Charlottetown. I am hopeful the city will serve as an example of how to better implement more sustainable food practices right across the province,” said Mitchell Tweel, City Councillor, Ward 4 and Chair of Environment and Sustainability Committee.
The project will assess how much food waste exists locally and connect potential food donors with local organizations. The multi-phased project was recently awarded $47,700 funding from the provincial Climate Challenge Fund. Combined with in-kind services from both partner organizations and municipal funding, the total project budget is $53,000.
The food recovery network project will include:
- An assessment of local food waste;
- Targeted engagement and discussions with potential food donors such as food producers, wholesalers and retailers as well as potential food recipients such as food banks;
- Deployment of Second Harvest’s Food Rescue App that will help put local surplus food into use in the community;
- A small scale infrastructure fund that will support local non-profits to purchase the equipment they need to accept and distribute an increase of food donations; and,
- Educational marketing and tools to increase the general public’s awareness around food waste and the importance of finding a home for healthy, delicious and nutritious food.
“We are very excited about this project to work with the City of Charlottetown and Second Harvest to launch the Food Recovery Network. This app will allow Island Farmers and other stakeholders within the industry network to divert Island grown food to a source that needs it whilst helping the environment,” said Ron Maynard, Chair of Farm & Food Care.
Farm & Food Care PEI and the City of Charlottetown are working with Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue charity, to implement the Food Recovery Network. As part of the assessment of local food waste, Second Harvest is conducting an online survey to collect information on the current state and potential opportunities. The results will help to determine the quantity and location of surplus food in the community, guiding efforts to connect potential food donors with local organizations that can use this food in their programming. The survey is now open and geared toward businesses and organizations that may generate surplus food such as food producers, wholesalers, retailers, processors, and distributors as well as restaurants, caterers, and institutions.
To complete the survey, visit secondharvest.ca/pei or click here. The survey closes Monday, January 31.
For more information, visit secondharvest.ca/pei.
PEI’s Climate Challenge Fund was established to help Islanders adapt to climate change, develop new technologies and opportunities, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in innovative ways.