It was 2018 when Daiya first started working with FoodMesh, employing us to find a home for all their unsold products. Through our partnership, they could ensure that whenever they have a product that they can’t sell, either because it’s close dated or because there have been changes to its packaging that make it unsalable, we ensure that it is redirected to organizations that can help put it onto the plates of people who need it, so it doesn’t end up in waste streams. 

“Daiya was the first business to believe in FoodMesh’s mission to waste less and feed more, and they have been unwavering in their commitment to reducing food waste ever since,” says Jessica Regan, CEO and Co-Founder of FoodMesh.

Four years into this partnership, Daiya has donated an enormous 139,817 kg of food to local hunger-relief organizations. That means that they have helped reduce around 360,729 kg of CO2e emissions from entering the atmosphere, just by keeping this food out of landfills.

Not only is this arrangement saving the damaging CO2e emissions from entering the atmosphere, but it’s also helping these hunger-relief organizations provide allergen-free foods to their clients. With all of their products free from dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish, Daiya’s donations mean that this historically underserved population of people with allergies has increased access to safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and preferences.

And that need has been greater than ever in recent years. One of the charitable organizations FoodMesh partners with, and is a grateful recipient of Daiya donations, is CityReach Care Society in Vancouver. This organization, which serves vulnerable individuals, children and families across the region, saw a 1,000-per-cent increase in the demand for its services in 2020.

Sharon Dong, Director of CityReach’s Food for Families program, reflects on the impact Daiya’s donations have had on them: “At CityReach Care Society, the guests of our Food for Families program know Daiya and their products very well. Throughout the pandemic, Daiya has generously donated items for their entire product line to our families. From pizzas, burritos, cheesecake, dessert bars, shreds, slices, dairy-free dressings, blocks, sticks to cream cheeze, our families have benefited from Daiya’s delicious and nutritious plant-based products.

“Thank you Daiya for redefining rescued food and for making a difference to the planet and the nutrition of our families.”

Daiya has been committed to sustainable practices ever since they were founded 14 years ago. From the ingredients they use, to their efforts to reduce packaging and new (soon to be) LEED-certified facility in Burnaby, BC, they have been making choices that minimize their environmental impact. This Earth Day, we salute you Daiya, for everything you are doing to support the health of our planet.

This is a great example of the Metro Vancouver Food Recovery Network in action.

About the network

The Metro Vancouver Food Recovery Network is designed to help organizations quickly and easily divert their surplus food to organizations that can put that food to its highest-end use. Learn more and join the network.

Written by Megan Czerpak, Head of Communications at FoodMesh