Why Making the Most from the Food in our Garbage is a Necessity

Toronto has a garbage problem. More specifically, it has a ‘throwing out food in the garbage’ kind of problem.

 All of us have done it before. We buy food, it doesn’t get eaten, and we throw it out. We do it as people and households. It is done at corporate and locally-owned restaurants. Even grocery stores are forced to toss out food items here and there.

 Approximately a billion pounds of food is wasted every year in the GTA. If these items could be re-purposed to feed the hungry and the homeless, there’s no telling the amount of good that this would do.

 Much of this food comes from fruits and vegetables that are no longer so ripe and aesthetically pleasing. Many Torontonians throw this food out because it doesn’t look great. These items however could easily be re-purposed to make smoothies, soups, and other meals.

 The problem of ugly fruits and vegetables is so extensive that many grocery stores won’t even stock produce that does not look aesthetically pleasing. This results in tons being thrown out. These are crooked eggplants, oddly shaped peppers, and all sorts of unpolished fruits and vegetables that are being let go of every day.

 Though it’s easy to get down on these numbers, many food markets and grocery stores have already started stepping up. For example, several have partnered with Second Harvest to arrange for the pick-up of discarded food that is still fresh and ripe. Second Harvest’s efforts are directly responsible for feeding more than 30,000 people every day with the food picked up.

 It is clear that with food insecurity having been on the rise in recent decades in Canada and the City of Toronto, making the most of the food here is important. The days of buying and throwing out food need to change. Further initiatives should be taken up, encouraging individual consumers to come forward with food they do not plan on using. Through programs such as what Second Harvest has set up, more people can be fed and food can be put to better use.

 As long as there are Canadian families with children going to be hungry, as long as there are homeless on our streets, and as long as there are people in desperate need of a good meal, re-purposing food is something that Toronto needs to think about more in-depth. Change can happen at a consumer level as well as an organizational level. Every Canadian should be looking into whether they overbuy, analyzing how they use their food, and identifying what items are being tossed away and why.

 Making the most from the food in our garbage is an opportunity to create a positive change in Toronto while setting an example for the rest of Ontario, and the country for that matter. Be inspired. Think twice about buying and throwing out food, as well as your waste management strategies in general. Reach out to organizations near you that may be able to re-purpose some of the food. There’s too many people in need not to.