Have you ever wondered what happens to food that grocery stores can no longer sell? Be it due to an approaching peak freshness date, aesthetic imperfections or simply due to a lack of shelf space with more shipment on its way, there are many reasons why perfectly good food never makes it into the customers’ hands. 

Statistics Canada reported that in 2024 over 25% of people living in Canada were food-insecure – an all time high over the last 20 years. “If there is enough food,” says Roger Johnson, president of US National Farmers Union, “a major problem causing scarcity is what we do with it”. There’s no morally justifiable reason why it needs to be thrown out. The problem is not food shortage, but rather an unequal distribution and access to nutritious foods. 

IGA of BC is one of the organizations working with FoodMesh that have committed to doing their part to rescue food and redirect it to communities across Canada experiencing food insecurity. This means more food to those who need it and diverted away from landfills. It’s a win-win. In fact, IGA of BC has recently collectively achieved an incredible milestone of donating the equivalent of 2 million meals of unsellable but perfectly edible food to local charities and hunger-relief organizations. FoodMesh’s partnership with IGA of BC started in April 2020, resulting in a whopping 1,262,844 kg of food donated since. 

Food Stash Foundation in Vancouver is one of the organizations collecting and redistributing surplus food from three local IGA stores. They distribute IGA’s rescued food through various food programs, such as their home grocery delivery service and an affordable food market. With the help of donations from IGA, they have also been able to deliver fresh food to their 45 community partners who collectively serve 11,000+ people per week. Food Stash Foundation’s Operations and Food Recovery Manager, Enrik Gagnon, explains that the IGAs they receive food donations from are key players in the work they do everyday. “With their donations, we are addressing immediate hunger and improving food access through our dignified food programs,” he explains. Thanks to IGA’s donated food, they’ve been able to serve over 130 individuals with home grocery deliveries who wouldn’t have been able to access food bank programs otherwise.

Food rescue organizations aren’t the only ones working hard behind the scenes to ensure this food gets to those who need it. Store staff engagement is essential for a successful donation program as they are the ones doing the ground work day in and day out, ensuring their unsellable food gets scanned out, sorted and packed in boxes ready for pickup. “Our drivers are thankful for their staff’s engagement in the work we do and they have been a blessing to work with,” explains Enrik. 

Another donation recipient, Ervin Macario from Potter’s Place Mission, who picks up donations weekly from IGA on West 4th in Vancouver, agrees with Enrik. “It’s great team work. We’re a team at the end of the day and none of this could happen without their help.” He appreciates that the store staff make the pickup process so seamless and easy. “I do a lot of the pickups myself, so I’ve become acquainted with the staff and we get along well. The donations are always ready for pickup when I arrive.” With the help of IGA’s donations, Potter’s Place Mission has been able to feed up to 70 people twice per day, everyday of the year, with a hot meal in Vancouver’s downtown eastside.

These stories are just a glimpse of the impact made from 2 million meals donated by IGA. Behind every box of surplus food donated, there’s a person, a family, a child, an elderly who was able to enjoy a fresh meal that they otherwise may not have been able to access. 

Written by Nikki Mertens, Operations Support Coordinator at FoodMesh