Recently, several studies have looked at the phenomenon of food waste. In 2019, the results of one of them, conducted by Second Harvest, an Ontario organization, have been published. The report is overwhelming, Canada throws away more than half of the food it produces and a third of these losses would be preventable.

The study claims, based on data sent by Statistics Canada, that the annual cost of these avoidable losses is 1766$ per household. Every year, this is 50 billions of dollars in food that goes straight to the garbage and 22 million tonnes of greenhouse gases that are unnecessarily released into the atmosphere, while millions of people are currently food insecure in the country. (1)

To put these emissions into perspective, that corresponds, according to the figures transmitted by a report of Climate Transparency, a coalition of international environmental organizations, emissions produced by one million Canadians in one year (2). It would be the equivalent of withdrawing very close to 5 million cars on Canadian roads (3). These huge costs represent more than 10 times the envelope that the Government of Canada intends to grant, sure 5 years, to all First Nations, in order to bridge the major socio-economic gap that persists between them and non-natives (4). Let us recall in passing that research shows that, Meanwhile, some Indigenous communities struggle with suicide rates 800 times higher than the national average, in environments where poverty coexists, malnutrition and lack of health services (5).

The Food waste study affirms, as for her, that across the world, this is 70% of our drinking water which is intended for the agricultural sector (6). The figures put forward by the EMI, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and relayed by the newspaper The Guardian, demonstrate that the production of a single kilo of beef alone requires more than 15 000 liters of water, and that to produce a glass of milk, 1000 glasses of water must be contaminated (7). Even more eloquent, if food waste was a country, he would be the 3^e largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GES), just behind the United States and China (8). Not surprisingly, reducing food waste also ranked high 3^e rank in terms of efficiency to reduce GHGs (9).

On the brink of a global climate crisis, while access to drinking water is a growing issue in international politics, in this era where we are witnessing the scarcity of arable land due to desertification resulting in particular from intensive agriculture, it is inconceivable that we continue on this path which squanders natural resources at a frantic pace, thus darkening the horizons of the living, yesterday still radiant and prosperous.

International solutions

Already existing initiatives from which to draw inspiration, there is a variety of them. United Kingdom, in 2007, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), launched a campaign called "Love Food, Hate Waste ». The results were dazzling and food waste dropped by 21% in only 5 years across the country. We estimate at 13 billion euros the savings generated by this change of course (10). A little further east, in a country known for its food waste, a Danish citizen movement, Stop Wasting Food, carried out a vast information campaign aimed at changing the population's misperception of expiration dates. Through this movement, between 2010 and 2015, Denmark miraculously succeeded in reducing 25% its food waste production (10). Besides, a supermarket chain named WeFood henceforth sells exclusively "expired" products, in copenhagen (12).

On his side, France unanimously adopted, the 3 last february, a bill which will oblige in particular shops of 400m² and more to redistribute their unsold items to charities. This law will have the effect of forcing these same traders to apply a principle of prioritization of their actions in order to ensure that the recovery and valuation of their food products is carried out optimally. (13). Then, there is Belgium which, already in 2014, made the redistribution of unsold products compulsory for all large businesses present in its territory following a successful pilot project (14).

A technological boost

Multiple applications aimed at saving food have emerged in recent years and some of them have the potential to effectively contribute to the reduction of food waste produced in the West.. For exemple, it exists Eatizz.com that allows merchants to communicate attractive offers to potential customers on foods approaching their expiration date. We can also think of BonApp.ca, which connects individuals so that everyone can enjoy fruits and vegetables that others will not be able to consume on time for various reasons. Foodstuffs will be placed in drop-off points accessible to those who wish to consume them (15). Many more such applications could be praised, as Second-Life.ca, MyFoodways, Too Good To Go, or FoodHero, but you will find that it is easy to find out for yourself in a few clicks.

Initiatives from home / here

While the body Save your food gives conferences and orchestrates workshops aimed at empowering citizens to deal with food waste, The Chef's Table get over half a million meals a year, from hotels, restaurants and caterers, in order to offer them to people in precarious situations (16).
In the Outaouais, l’Anti-food waste squad helped save more than 50,000 kg of fruit and vegetables from the fields by mobilizing citizens ready to harvest the surpluses that lay in the fields of farmers in the region, a process called gleaning (17). In addition, they organize "anti-waste" cooking activities allowing the redistribution of healthy foods to families, in addition to educating them about different types of little-known vegetables. With the support of Moisson Outaouais, they also offer food waste awareness workshops to young people.

What to do?

At home, it is desirable to proceed with a judicious planning of its meals over a given period, not hesitate to freeze meals or food for later and to go to the grocery store more regularly by buying in more moderate quantities.

However, one more time, individual actions are necessary, but insufficient, as is the case with any major issue. This is why it is urgent to act collectively and demand structural changes. The study conducted by Second Harvest, mentioned earlier, suggests among other things an improvement of the coordination process between farmers and processors, as well as more targeted expiration dates (18). In Canada, these are, with the exception of a few foods like dietary supplements, meal replacements or formula, left to the discretion of the producer. (19)

It is imperative that the government impose regulations to force producers to put an adequate expiration date on all consumer products. Currently, expiration dates should only be affixed to products that remain fresh 90 days or less, and many people confuse these with the expiration date which, she, means that you should avoid consuming the product after the indicated date has been passed. for example, a yogurt can, approximately, be consumed during 7 at 10 days after the expiration date if it has not been opened beforehand (20). The famous "best before" is just a simple indicator related to the taste and texture of food. As is already the norm in some European countries mentioned earlier, a legal obligation requiring large traders to redistribute their unsold goods would be, her too, an effective and pragmatic method to counter this scourge of food waste.

All these actions and measures relating to food waste also help to reduce social inequalities., to avoid significant economic losses and contribute to the protection of our environment. In the same way as for the environmental fight, each of us has a role to play. On the one hand, there are the small things we can do on a daily basis. Then, the other, there is the need to transform our government policies. For this food crisis as for the environmental crisis, from now on we must strive to take all possible paths. We've already waited too long at the intersection, asking us which route would be the shortest or the safest, in all immobility.

Now let's walk, ensemble…

Alexis Legault

Mediagraphy

(1) Nickel, L., Maguire, M., Gooch, M., Bucknell, D., LaPlain, D., Dent, B., Whitehead, P., Up, A. « The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste: Roadmap » Second Harvest and Value Chain Management International; Ontario, Canada. 2019. https://secondharvest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Avoidable-Crisis-of-Food-Waste-The-Roadmap-by-Second-Harvest-and-VCMI.pdf

(2) OWN. P. UMAÑA, A. « Brown to green the G20 transition to a low-carbon economy | 2018 » Climate Transparency, 2018. https://www.climate-transparency.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Brown-to-Green-Report-2018_rev.pdf

(3) « Food waste study » Alberta agriculture and forestry, IMC(Ian Murray & Co Ltd.). 2017. https://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/bt14879/$FILE/FWS2017.pdf

(4) niosa. T. "Federal budget : 4,5 billion for reconciliation ”, Radio Canada, 19 mars 2019. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/espaces-autochtones/1159306/budget-federal-autochtones-reconciliation-trudeau-inuits

(5) "Snapshot of Aboriginal Health in Canada", National Collaborating Center for Indigenous Health (CCNSA) 2013. http://www.ccnsa-nccah.ca/docs/context/FS-OverviewAbororiginalHealth-fr.pdf

(6) Alberta agriculture and forestry. on. cit.

(7) « How much water is needed to produce food and how much do we waste? », The Guardian, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/10/how-much-water-food-production-waste

(8) « Food wastage footprint: Impacts on natural resources », FAO, 2013. http://www.fao.org/3/i3347e/i3347e.pdf

(9) AUDET. R. BRISEBOIS. IT IS. "Food waste between retail distribution and consumption", UQAM Research Chair in Ecological Transition. no. 5, 2018. https://chairetransition.esg.uqam.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2018/11/Le-gaspillage-alimentaire-entre-la-distribution-au-detail-et-la-consommation.pdf

(10) CHATEL. T. “Food waste weighs heavily on the climate (2) », Zero Waste France, 15 mars 2015. https://www.zerowastefrance.org/gaspillage-alimentaire-pese-lourd-climat/

(11) "Let's reduce food waste", Eufic, 19 July 2017. https://www.eufic.org/fr/healthy-living/article/lets-reduce-food-waste

(12) MORIN. I. VIGNEAULT. A. "Act against food waste", Press, 2017. https://www.lapresse.ca/vivre/societe/201706/29/01-5111884-agir-contre-le-gaspillage-alimentaire.php

(13) "Food waste in France : the law definitively adopted ! », Save your food, 8 February 2016. https://www.sauvetabouffe.org/2016/02/gaspillage-alimentaire-en-france-la-loi-definitivement-adoptee/

(14) "Belgium prohibits waste", Save your food, 20 May 2014. https://www.sauvetabouffe.org/2014/05/la-belgique-interdit-le-gaspillage/

(15) MORIN. I. VIGNEAULT. A. on. cit.

(16) Save your food. 2016. on. cit.

(17) "4 initiatives to counter food waste in the Outaouais", The Pointer, 5 October 2017. https://lepointeur.ca/article/4-initiatives-pour-contrer-le-gaspillage-alimentaire-en-outaouais/

(18) Nickel, L., Maguire, M., Gooch, M., Bucknell, D., LaPlain, D., Dent, B., Whitehead, P., Up, A. on. cit.

(19) "Shelf life on the label of prepackaged foods", Government of Canada, 12 December 2019. https://www.inspection.gc.ca/salubrite-alimentaire-pour-l-industrie/information-pour-les-consommateurs/fiches-de-renseignements-et-infographies/duree-de-conservation/fra/1332357469487/1332357545633

(20) Government of Canada. ibid.