Across Canada, nearly 46.5% of all food produced is wasted – that’s 21.18 million metric tonnes of food waste, nearly 41.7% of which is still edible – enough to feed more than 17 million people every year! This amounts to a staggering loss of $58 billion in value.
Canada’s food waste is equivalent to 25.7 million tonnes of CO2e annually.
Organic waste is one of the two largest waste streams in Canadian landfills. When it decomposes, it releases methane — a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. However, this waste can be transformed into a resource: composting turns it into a valuable nutrient source for farming, while breaking it down in an anaerobic digester allows for the methane to be captured and turned into renewable natural gas.
When edible food is redirected to food rescue organizations for distribution it maintains its highest value and security is improved for those that need it most: children’s breakfast programs, community centres, drop-in centres, and shelters.
The most prominently wasted foods by weight and value are:
One-fifth, or 19%, of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted every year. That’s one billion meals a day wasted, due in large part to household food waste practices. That’s a global loss of roughly CAD $1.35 trillion.
