Good for the planet... and your wallet!

 

Food waste is defined by any and all food intended for human consumption that is wasted or thrown away throughout the food chain; be it during production, processing or transportation, or even in selling or consumption sites.

 

Numbers say it all…

 

• According to the National Zero Waste Council, 63% of the food thrown away by Canadian households could have been consumed.
• Every Canadian throws in average 79 kg (175 pounds) of food every year.
• In Canada, 20 billion dollars in food are squandered every year. This represents about 1% of Canada's annual gross domestic product.
• Canadian families lose in average $1100 per year in wasted food. These figures put Canadians at the top in terms of food waste across the North American continent.
• The impacts of food waste on the environment are often overlooked, yet significant. Food ending up in landfills result in the release of large quantities of methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere. There are therefore over 3,3 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions released every year in the atmosphere, which would classify food waste as the third largest polluter behind China and the United States. Let's also not forget other negative externalities associated to this issue, such as; the useless consumption of water, arable land, packaging and energy.

 

 

How to save $1100/year?

 

In the fridge...

1. Refrigerators are quite amazing. Make sure:

   •  it remains clean ;

   • the temperature is set between 3 and 5 ̊C ;

   • the sealer is working and clean.

2. To learn more about the best ways to store your food in the refrigerator, read this : Demystifying your fridge.

3. Make sure you know about the ethylene transmitting foods. Refer to the Did you know? sheet for more details.

   *Did you know that some foods generate ethylene and should not be stored close to other foods that are sensitive because their freshness will be shortened?

4. Write down the date of opening of cans, and when a meal was cooked to date the leftovers.

5. By rotating the food items in your fridge, you prevent forgetting a pot pie from 2 months ago.

 

In your household…

1. Plan a weekly menu that includes what is already in your fridge.

2. Got loads of almost gone bad fruits and veggies? Use them for soups, pie fillings and smoothies!

3. Give a second life to your leftovers. You can turn your cooked vegetables from last night into a delicious soup for today.

4. Follow a class with Groupe Promo-Santé Laval to learn how to can, store, freeze your fruits, vegetables and meals.

5. Lots of unusual parts of your produce can be quite tasty and useful:

• The leafy parts of beats and white turnips are good in soups and salads

• The cutting leftover of celeri, carrots and potatoes can make a great vegetable broth

• Dry bread will make delicious bread pudding!

      6. When serving smaller portions, you are less likely to have leftovers.

 

At the grocery store...

1. Make (and stick to!) your grocery list.

2. Buy the quantities required for your recipes. Why buy a bag of lemons if you only need 2 for your recipe?

3. Wash and store properly all your produce as soon as you get home to make meal prep easier and more appealing.

 

Publications (in French)

2015.  7 trucs pour réduire le gaspillage alimentaire – An article published by Coup de pouce magazine, in which CRE de Laval and Groupe Promo-Santé Laval give a few tips on how to reduce food waste.

2015. Démystifier votre réfrigérateur: Comment bien l’utiliser pour minimiser les pertes de nourriture

2015. Saviez-vous que les aliments émetteurs d’éthylène réduisent la durée de conservation de certains aliments?

 

Sources

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2021 report of the UNEP on the food waste index.

Denise Proulx, 2013, Les Québécois champions du gaspillage alimentaire, TVA nouvelles (in French).

RECYC-QUEBEC, 2018 track record of the management of residual materials in Quebec.