Spotlight on: Chef TJ Conwi
Introducing the man behind Vancouver's first chef-run surplus food hub
Metro Vancouver is supporting FoodMesh to build a food recovery network of local businesses, charitable organizations and farmers.
Through FoodMesh’s programs and services, organizations in the network that have surplus food are quickly and efficiently matched to other organizations that can put the food to good use so that it doesn’t end up going to waste, feeding people first, then animals.
“We are incredibly proud to be partnering with FoodMesh. At Choices, we firmly believe in cultivating win-win relationships, and this collaboration with FoodMesh is a shining example of that. Thanks to this partnership, all ten Choices locations are diverting 100 per cent of their unsalable edible food away from landfills, benefitting people in need in our community as well as the environment. We are excited about the positive impact we can make together.”
– Jon Janower, Chief Operating Officer, Choices Markets
1 September 2021 – 31 August 2023
Note: This does not include food that is recovered in the region outside of FoodMesh’s programs and services
Network members
Food diverted (KG)
Meals created
CO2e reduced (KG)
“Demand for our programs is at an all-time high. We are always looking for more food donors who want to divert their good, surplus food out to the community instead of letting it go to waste. This partnership between FoodMesh and Choices Markets has helped us be able to keep up with demand. We now serve seven new non-profit organizations with weekly donations of good food to serve their community, and we are looking forward to growing our programming soon as well.”
– Carla Pellegrini, Executive Director of Food Stash Foundation
“I can’t thank Fresh St. Market enough for their food donations. It’s doing such good in our community.”
– Gary Sugrim, Varad Ashram Inter-Cultural Service Humanitarian World Association (VISHWA)
The signature event for this year was an upcycler showcase at the 2023 Grocery & Specialty Food West – the biggest trade show for grocery retailers in western Canada.
Thanks to Metro Vancouver’s support, FoodMesh sponsored five BC-based upcyclers to showcase their products with 3000+ buyers and influencers from the grocery industry, in a bid to help them grow their business and increase their ability to repurpose food otherwise destined for waste streams.
As a direct result of the Upcycler Showcase, in the month following the event, 3 of the 5 participating upcyclers reported initial sales totaling $5,803, with all five upcyclers having leads for additional sales in the pipeline. This equates to 602 KG of food waste prevented.
We teamed up with the BC Food and Beverage Association to share some ideas for different ways food manufacturers and processors in Metro Vancouver can keep their surplus food out of waste streams. Featuring presentations by:
Chris Thompson
ReFeed Farms and Waste Collection
Christine Couvelier
Trendi
Arielle Lok
Peko Produce
Michelle Reining
Vancouver Food Runners
To elevate the businesses in Metro Vancouver that are finding financially viable models for repurposing food destined for waste streams, we ran a spotlight series on our blog oninnovative ways they are using surplus food so that it doesn’t go to waste, featuring:
Introducing the man behind Vancouver's first chef-run surplus food hub
Meet the company that is using agricultural robotics to turn excess food from farms and production facilities into powders and purees
Meet the organization rescuing and repurposing the produce that is left behind when it is processed to get the perfect tomato slice or lettuce shell.
See how Susgrainable is turning brewery by-products into healthy baking mixes and treats, in the first part of a new series that profiles innovative solutions to the food waste pro
This impressive Metro Vancouver-based upcycler rescues second-grade produce from farms and produce markets and transforms it into an array of delicious chutneys and spreads
Find out how this organization is helping people and planet through their line of delicious soups and stews
To coincide with DineOut Vancouver, FoodMesh composed a blog post with tips on how restaurants can save food from going to waste. We collaborated with Destination Vancouver to include this blog post in the eNewsletter that is sent to Destination Vancouver members as well as in the Dine Out newsletter to all restaurants participating in the food festival.
Learn about the economic, environmental and social cost of food waste, and 4 things your restaurant can do about it
The FoodMesh team paid CityReach Care Society a visit, and enjoyed a tour of its rooftop beehives while they were at it.
See the Metro Vancouver Food Recovery Network in action
Since Fresh. St Market in Fleetwood Park Village partnered with VISHWA, it has helped provide approximately 50,230 meals to people as a result, some as far afield as Boston Bar.
Since FoodMesh and Fresh St. Market joined forces in April 2020, its seven stores have collectively donated the equivalent of 1 million meals to 117 charities across the province
IGA of BC has donated the equivalent of 1 million meals to 160 hunger-relief organizations since its partnership with FoodMesh began in April 2020.
New food donation program diverting edible, surplus food to community members who need it most.