Reducing food waste in Metro Vancouver’s hospitality industry: 7 practical steps from local leaders
Local hospitality leaders share actionable strategies to cut food waste and boost sustainability
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.
“I’m beyond proud of our store management teams for their diligence going department by department to ensure surplus healthy foods like fruit and vegetables are not being thrown out and wasted and that we can quickly and efficiently get these foods directly to people who need it. We have more than 220 charities who are distributing food to people in British Columbia thanks to this important part of our store’s food operations and our partnership with FoodMesh.”
– Gary Sorenson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Georgia Main Food Group
1 September 2021 – 31 August 2024
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 avoided (KG)
“FoodMesh is our backbone. Without the donations we get through FoodMesh, we would not survive and be able to do what we’re doing for our community. I am so grateful.”
– Randel Erbacker, Community Program Coordinator, Salvation Army House of Hope
“We go through 30 loaves of bread a day. If this bread wasn’t being donated, we’d have to buy it ourselves. If we had to purchase everything we use for meals, we wouldn’t be able to keep the facility going. It would really limit what we could do. This is a really important partnership to us. Our guests don’t have to be hungry because of partners like Fresh St. Market, whose donations let us do the work we have to do.”
– Rachel Martin, Volunteer Coordinator, Salvation Army Gateway of Hope
Local hospitality leaders share actionable strategies to cut food waste and boost sustainability
This guest post by Dan's Legacy tells the story of how it is using rescued food as a tool to provide vulnerable youth with valuable life skills
Learn more about how Fresh St. Market Langley is ensuring its unsold food is being put to good use, so it doesn't end up in waste streams.
How Potter’s Place Mission and IGA West 4th have teamed up to provide nourishing meals to residents of Vancouver’s downtown eastside
See where these donations are going and the impact they are having on the local community.
In donating its unsold food to local charities, Fresh St. Market is providing hunger-relief organizations with a regular and reliable supply of fresh food donations.