Canadians waste an estimated $28 billion worth of food a year, making a huge impact on Canada’s often-poor food sector environmental record, says a new Conference Board of Canada report.
It says the best industry reaction would be to convince consumers that the “best before date” on the package does not mean the food is unsafe.
In a survey done by conference board researchers, many consumers said they threw out products that were past the label’s “best before date.”
“The top reason for consumer food waste — not eating food before the ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ dates — could be addressed by helping consumers understand that ‘best before’ dates do not indicate the safety of the product but refer primarily to how long a food product is able to retain its freshness, taste or nutritional value,” said a Centre for Food in Canada report on the environmental impact of the food system. “It is clear that food waste is a worsening problem that is not being adequately addressed.”
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The report, one of a series from the conference board that is building to the launch of a national food strategy proposal next year, said food waste in Canada “amplifies environmental impacts across the system by requiring unnecessary food production, processing and distribution.”
As well, waste that is sent to landfill sites to decompose adds to the release of greenhouse gases, including methane, which create environmental problems.
It will also require more food production, with its own environmental impact, to help feed an increasingly food-deficient world.
The report said much of the food waste occurs in homes, often be-cause consumers think the “best before” date means the food is bad.
“The indirect effects of food waste are of even greater significance,” said the report, written by James Stuckey, Caitlin Charman and Jean-Charles Le Vallée. “Food waste amplifies the environmental impact of food production along the entire food supply chain by requiring more production and more environmental impacts than is strictly needed to meet market demand.”
It said worries about the world’s ability to feed nine billion people would be reduced if affluent nations did not waste as much as 40 percent of their food supply.
