Question Period Note: FOOD WASTE

Q1 – Who have you engaged to address this important issue? Q2 – When will the Food Loss and Waste Reduction Action Plan be launched?

R.1 - In the lead-up to the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit, our government engaged with diverse food systems partners and stakeholders, including a dedicated dialogue on Fostering collaboration on food loss and waste (April 2021).
The Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council has provided advice on the most pressing issues facing Canada’s food systems. Food loss and waste have been a focal point of the Council’s work, and recommendations have identified the importance of establishing a baseline, setting targets, and collaborating with key stakeholders across food systems to achieve meaningful reductions.
Internationally, Canada has affirmed its commitment to food loss and waste reduction through participation in a variety of multilateral forums, including the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. R.2 - At the 10th Annual North American Leaders’ Summit (January 2023), Canada committed to developing a domestically focused Food Loss and Waste Reduction Action Plan by the end of 2025 outlining efforts to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030.

Food loss and waste is a complex, dynamic challenge facing global food systems, including in Canada. Food loss occurs at the earlier parts of the food supply chain, including production, processing, transportation and distribution. Food waste occurs at the consumption stages, including retail, food services, institutions and households. The term “food waste” is often used to refer to food loss and food waste collectively.
• The UN estimates that 14% of total global food production is lost between harvest and distribution, and 17% is wasted in retail, food service and households.
• In Canada, it is estimated that nearly half (46.5%) of all food in Canada is lost or wasted every year, 41.7% of which could be rescued to support communities across Canada, and $58 billion worth of food that is disposed of which could be avoided each year.
• Food waste represents the single largest percentage (23%) of Canadian municipal solid waste disposed.
There are a multitude of reasons that food loss and waste is generated throughout the food system, including lack of awareness and quantification, operational inefficiencies, relationships among supply chain partners, quality standards, inadequate transportation and storage, inaccurate forecasting and inventory management.
Where prevention is not feasible, there are missed economic and social opportunities when food, as a resource, is discarded, as well as environmental consequences such as landfill methane emissions.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Approach to Reducing Food Loss and Waste
The department works with other federal departments and stakeholders across the country to identify effective solutions for reducing food loss and food waste.

Since 2019, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has implemented:
• Food Waste Reduction Challenge
o The Challenge, which ran from November 2020 to March 2024, delivered high-impact solutions to food loss and waste in Canada with a stage-gated approach to support applicants through the innovation development cycle. The Challenge was divided into two categories, the Business Models Streams and the Novel Technologies Streams.

o Business Models Streams
 The Business Models Streams (Streams A & B) supported innovators with business model solutions that prevented or diverted food loss and waste at any point from farm to plate.
 In Stage One, 24 semi-finalists were selected to receive a $100,000 prize to continue developing their innovations.
 In Stage Two, 12 finalists received $400,000 to test their solution with at least one Canadian implementation partner and evaluate the effectiveness of their solution.
 On March 20, 2024, the Business Models Streams grand prize winners were announced: LOOP Mission and Still Good each received a grand prize of $1,500,000 to scale their solutions.
• LOOP Mission creates beverages from fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste.
• Still Good develops business solutions for companies to transform nutrient-rich by-products that would otherwise go to waste into new food products.

o Novel Technologies Streams
 The Novel Technologies Streams (Streams C & D) of the Food Waste Reduction Challenge focused on novel technologies that could extend the life of food or transform food waste into new foods or value-added products.
 In Stage One, 18 semi-finalists received $100,000 and moved on to build or complete an existing prototype of their technology.
 In Stage Two, six finalists received $450,000 each and moved on to the final stage of the Challenge where they tested their prototype in an operational environment with at least one implementation partner.
 On May 14, 2024, the Novel Technologies Streams grand prize winners were announced: Genecis Bioindustries Inc. and Clean Works Inc. each received a grand prize of $1,000,000 to scale their solutions.
• Genecis Bioindustries has developed a specialized bacteria that transforms food waste into compostable bioplastics.
• Clean Works has developed a solution that uses hydrogen peroxide, ozone and UV to control mildew and micro-organism growth in pre-harvest (greenhouses, field crops, grapevines) fruit and vegetables.

• Surplus Food Rescue Program
o $50 million in funding to address the urgent COVID-19 related surplus of food that could not otherwise be routed through the supply chain due to disruptions, including the closure of restaurants and other food service- and hospitality-related businesses.
o Through the program, over 7 million kilograms of surplus food and 1 million dozen eggs were redistributed to food banks and community food organizations that would otherwise have gone to waste.
o This program sunset on March 31, 2021.

Key outstanding commitments include the development of a Food Loss and Waste Reduction Action Plan by the end of 2025 as agreed to by Canada at the 2023 North American Leaders’ Summit and the 2021 Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food’s mandate letter commitment to launch a No-Waste Food Fund.

Progress on Food Loss and Waste Reduction

Canada is making progress on FLW reduction. Recently released research estimates that FLW has been reduced by 20% in the last five years (2019-2024) due largely to the commendable efforts of farmers, the hospitality sector, and Canadian households. However, there is still too much food being wasted and more than three-quarters of the waste occurs before food reaches store shelves. This represents a significant burden on the economic productivity of Canada’s agriculture and food sectorand contributes up to12% to the price of food paid by consumers. Furthermore, Canada still wastes nearly nine million tonnes of food that could have been rescued to support food security in communities across the country.

• The Government of Canada is taking action to reduce food waste at all levels to make our food systems more efficient and productive, redistribute surplus food to those in need, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Under the Food Policy for Canada, we launched the $20-million Food Waste Reduction Challenge, that ran from 2020-2024, to spark new ideas and challenge innovators to deliver game-changing solutions that prevent or divert food waste.
• The Government of Canada is committed to developing a Food Loss and Waste Reduction Action Plan that builds on positive achievements across the sector, as well as launching a No-Waste Food Fund to help all players along the food supply chain adopt new ways to eliminate, reduce, or repurpose food waste.