16 Feb Where does surplus food come from?
Surplus food doesn’t necessarily come from carelessness (trust us, it can!), but more often it comes from how our food system works.
Across Canada, food businesses try to plan to ensure shelves are stocked, customers are satisfied, and demand is met. But food systems are complex, and even the best planning can’t eliminate uncertainty. Overall ⅓ of all food produced is never consumed and can be left without a destination. That’s surplus food, and how we respond to it matters.
Good food without a home.
Surplus food can be created at any point along a product’s journey, from farm to plate. Consumer demand can shift, leaving products unsold. Order errors, or products approaching a best-before date can also create surplus — even though the food itself is still perfectly good.
In many cases, all food is grown, produced, and transported with the right intention. The challenge isn’t necessarily the food — it’s finding the right place for it when it doesn’t have a home.
Plans can change.
Farmers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers all make plans to meet demand as accurately as possible. But food systems are dynamic. Supply chain disruptions, transportation delays, and simply over ordering turn a perfectly good product into a surplus.
When plans change, surplus food appears, often with very little notice. And without a clear, fast solution, businesses are left asking: now what?
What happens next, matters.
When surplus food doesn’t have a clear next step, it’s often at risk of becoming waste. This results in a loss of value and is translated to unnecessary emissions and missed opportunities to support communities facing food insecurity. Not only that, the business with the surplus will pay for that loss in disposal fees.
The reality is, surplus food doesn’t have to become food waste. Managed with the right systems and teams, surplus can be diverted creating environmental, social, and economic benefits for your business.
What we do.
At FoodMesh, we help businesses across the food supply chain turn surplus into impact. We work to redirect safe, edible surplus food to charities and community organizations that need it most. Our logistics network and support team make food recovery easier, more reliable, and more efficient.
When donation isn’t possible, we help find the next best destination. No matter the size or frequency of your surplus, we help you find the right solution.
Surplus food isn’t a failure. Letting it go to waste is.
Surplus is an inevitable part of food systems. Waste doesn’t have to be.
By helping build strong connections between businesses and communities, we help keep edible food out of landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support food access initiatives across communities.
Surplus food represents an opportunity to do better for people, for the planet, and for our food system as a whole.
Want to divert your surplus?
Whether you’re looking to strengthen an existing diversion program or need a reliable solution for regular or unexpected surplus, FoodMesh can help.
Boost your food recovery efforts with consistent pickups, trusted charity partners, and tailored food waste solutions that work for your business.
Contact our team today to learn more about how we can support your surplus diversion goals.