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TotheRoot:AddressingConsumerFoodWasteinNovaScotia

Summary:

InCanada,astaggering$31billionworthoffoodiswastedeveryyear,representing

approximately40%ofthefoodthatisproducednationally.Beyondthesenumericalvalues,

therearealsosignificantexternalcoststosocietyandtheenvironmentthatresultfrom

excessivefoodwastage.

Althoughthecausesoffoodwastearevastandcomplex,occurringatmanystagesthroughout

thefoodchain,thelargestproportionofwastedfoodindevelopedcountriesisdirectlylinked

toconsumerbehavior.Infact,anestimated47%offoodwasteinCanadaoccursatthe

householdlevel.Thisprevalenceofconsumerfoodwastehighlightsanunderlyinglackof

appreciationandawarenessaboutfood,largelyduetotherecentindustrializationand

globalizationofourfoodsystem.Consideringthatconsumerfoodcultureinturninfluences

foodproducers,retailersandrestaurants,consumersappeartobeattherootofthefood

wastephenomenon.

Inresponse,thisessayexploresproactivemeasuresforaddressingconsumerfoodwastein

NovaScotia,withanemphasisonfosteringamoreconsciousandconnectedfoodculture,

providingconsumerswithsustainablefoodliteracyskills,andraisingawarenessaboutthe

impactsoffoodwaste.Examplesofeffectiveinitiativesthathavebeenimplementedinother

regionsareidentified,includingMichigan’sUpperPeninsulaFoodExchange,Australia’snational

KitchenGardenProgram,andMetroVancouver’sLoveFood,HateWastecampaign.

Ultimately,itissuggestedthatlong-termmeasurestoshiftconsumerfoodcultureandteach

foodliteracyshouldbecoupledwithanimmediatepublicawarenessaboutthisissuethrough

targetedinitiativestodivertfoodwastethatisalreadyoccurring.

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Introduction:Foodiswhatfuelsus.Itprovidesuswiththeenergythatweneedeverydaytowork,move,learn,think,andcreate.Foodepitomizesourintimateconnectiontonature,andremindsusofourresponsibilitytopreservetheearth’snaturalresourcesforgenerationstocome.Thedesireforhealthy,safeandenjoyablefoodisonesharedbyallpeople;ithasthepowertouniteus,andbuildvibrant,inclusivecommunities.Foodisbothanecessityoflife,andoneoflife’ssimplestpleasures.Despitetheseinherentvaluesassociatedwiththefoodweeat,astaggering$31billionworthoffoodiswastedeveryyearinCanada,representingapproximately40%ofthefoodthatisproducednationally.1Althoughtheycannotbeeasilyquantified,therearealsofurtherexternalcoststosocietyandtheenvironmentthatresultfromexcessivefoodwastage.Forexample,theagricultureindustryisoneoftheleadingcontributorstoclimatechangeandenvironmentaldegradation,responsibleforanestimated70%oftheworld’sfreshwaterusage,over80%ofdeforestation,and30%ofgreenhousegasemissionsbyhumans.2Bywastingfood,wearealsowastingtheintensiveinputsofwater,energy,andlaborthatwereusedforitsproduction,processing,andtransportation.Furthermore,whilesomuchfoodisbeingwasted,therearemorethan4millionCanadianswhoarecurrentlyfoodinsecure,3and795millionpeoplegloballywhoarechronicallyundernourished.4Theserealitiesemphasizethatfoodwasteisablatantsocialinjusticeandmisallocationoftheworld’sresources,aswellasamajorthreattoourenvironmentalsustainability.TheRoleoftheConsumer:Thecausesoffoodwastearevastandcomplex,occurringatmanystagesthroughoutthefoodchain.5Whilesomecontributingfactorsincludestringentfoodindustrystandards,excessiveprocessing,inefficientdistribution,andmisleadingexpirationdates,thelargestproportionofwastedfoodindevelopedcountriescanbetracedbacktoconsumerbehavior.6Infact,anestimated47%offoodwasteinCanadaoccursatthehouseholdlevel.7Consumersmaywastefoodforavarietyofreasons,suchaspoorplanning,improperstorage,preparingtoomuch,reluctancetoeatleftovers,orexcessivefearoffoodsafety.8However,whatallofthesewastefulhabitshaveincommonisanunderlyinglackofappreciationandawarenessaboutfood.Duetotherecentindustrializationandglobalizationofourfoodsystem,manyofusarelargelydisconnectedfromwhereourfoodcomesfromandhowitwasproduced,meaningthattherearefewerpositiveemotionsorpersonalexperiencesassociatedwithwhatweeat.9Wearealsoabletospendanincreasinglysmallerproportionofourdisposableincomeonfood,10soitdoesnotcarrythesamemonetaryworthasitoncedid.Furthermore,theimmediateavailabilityofprocessedandpreparedfoodsmakesitunnecessarytoobtainknowledgeorskillsaboutfood

preparation.Allofthesefactorsmayleadconsumerstocarelesslywastefoodintheirownhomes.Byextension,it’simportanttoalsoconsidertheimpactofconsumerfoodcultureonthepracticesoffoodproducers,retailers,andrestaurants.Asmanyconsumershavecometoexpectcheap,abundant,beautiful,anddiversefoodthatisavailableyear-round,11regardlessofseasonalityorregion,foodwasteoccurringatotherpointsinthefoodchainmayalsobeadirectreflectionoftheseexpectations.Ultimately,consumerbehaviorappearstobeattherootofthefoodwastephenomenon,andaproactiveapproachtoaddressingthisissuemustbeginbyfosteringamoreconsciousandconnectedfoodculture,whileprovidingconsumerswithtangibleskillsaroundhowtopurchaseandpreparefoodinasustainableway,andraisingawarenessabouttheimpactsoffoodwaste.FosteringFoodCulture:HereinNovaScotia,thereisalreadysignificantsupportforlocalfoodinitiativessuchasfarmers’markets,CSAprograms,andcommunitygardens.NovaScotiahasthemostfarmers’marketspercapitaofanyCanadianprovince(morethan40province-wide),12whileasuccessfulorganizationcalledFarmWorksenablesNovaScotianstodirectlyinvesttheirmoneyinlocalfarms.13Recently,publicfeedbackontheprovince’sEnvironmentalGoalsandSustainableProsperityActalsoresultedintheadditionoftwonewgoalsaroundtheincreasedproductionandconsumptionoflocalfood.14ThisexistingpublicandgovernmentalsupportforthelocalfoodmovementpresentsavaluableopportunitytoreducefoodwasteinNovaScotia.Bypurchasingfoodfromlocalsourceslikefarmers’marketsandCSAprograms,orhavinganopportunitytodirectlyparticipateinagriculturethroughcommunitygardens,consumersarelikelytogainagreaterawarenessofthetime,energy,andeffortthatisrequiredfortheproductionoftheirfood,andfeelmoreconfidentinitsqualityandsafety(regardlessofitsaestheticimperfections).15Intheseways,localfoodsystemsindirectlycontributetothereductionofconsumerfoodwastebyfosteringamoreconsciousandconnectedfoodculture.Tofurtherstrengthentheviabilityandefficiencyofitslocalfoodsystem,NovaScotiashouldfocusonestablishingkeyinfrastructureforthepackaging,processing,anddistributionoflocalfood.16AfewexamplesofeffectivelocalfooddistributionprojectshaverecentlybeenimplementedinthestateofMichigan,andcouldpotentiallybeadaptedforNovaScotia.Onestart-upcompanycalledFarmtoFreezergiveslocalfarmersaccesstofacilitiesforfreezingandpackagingtheirfreshproduce,enablingyear-roundsale,andreducedwastage.17Anotherco-operativeorganizationcalledtheUpperPeninsulaFoodExchangeworkstoaggregateanddistributefoodfromlocalproducers,therebyimprovingtheirabilitytomeetretailorinstitutionaldemand.18InitiativeslikethesewouldenablelocalfoodtobecomeamoresignificantcomponentofNovaScotia’smainstreamfoodsystem,inturnyieldinggreaterfoodwastereductions.

TeachingFoodLiteracy:Anotherkeyaspectofminimizingconsumerfoodwastereliesontheabilityofconsumerstoskillfullyplanandpreparemealsinasustainableway.Thisincludesknowledgeofhowtostoreorpreservefoodstoprolongtheirshelf-life,detectwhenfoodsarenolongerfittoconsume,andemployarangeofcookingtechniquestomakefulluseofdifferentingredients.19Generally,thesehabitsaresimpleandpractical,however,theydorequireacertaindegreeof‘foodliteracy’-orknowledge,skill,andconfidencearoundfood.20Toensurethatconsumerscansuccessfullyreducefoodwasteintheirownhomes,itisessentialthatprogramsbeinplacetoteachbasicfoodliteracytothemasses.WhilethereiscurrentlynoofficialsystemforteachingfoodliteracyinNovaScotia,therearevariouscommunity-basedinitiativesaimedatsharingknowledgearoundfoodproductionandpreparation.Forexample,TradeSchoolHalifaxprovidesaplatformforindividualstosharetheirskills(food-relatedornot)withthepublicthroughfreeworkshops.21AlthoughtheTradeSchoolisnotspecificallyfocusedonteachingfoodliteracy,someoftheirpastworkshopshaveincludedthemessuchas“VeganCooking,”“Fermentation,”“PastryMaking,”“Pickling,”and“DumpsterDiving101.”22Atfarmers’marketsthroughoutNovaScotia,communityworkshopsarealsoregularlyhostedtoteachskillsrelatedtogrowing,cooking,andpreservingfood.23Anexemplarymodelforteachingsustainablefoodliteracyisthegovernment-fundedKitchenGardenPrograminAustralia.Originallyimplementedin2001,thenation-wideprogramfocusesonteachingelementaryschoolstudentshowtogrowandprepareseasonalfoodsbyofferingthemstructuredtime“inaproductiveveggiegardenandhome-stylekitchen”aspartoftheirdailyschoolexperience.24Sincereceivingextensivegovernmentfundingin2012,theKitchenGardenProgramisnowinoperationatover650schoolsacrossthecountry.25WithsufficientgovernmentsupporttoimplementasimilarprogramatschoolsinNovaScotia,studentswouldbetaughtcomprehensivefoodliteracyfromayoungage,enablingthemtodevelopintoknowledgeableconsumerswhoarewell-equippedtotacklefoodwaste.AwarenessandActivism:WhileshiftingconsumercultureandteachingfoodliteracyarevitalforaddressingtheoriginoffoodwasteinNovaScotia,theselong-termmeasuresmustalsobecoupledwithawidespread,andimmediateawarenessoftheseverityofthisissue,aswellastargetedinitiativestodivertfoodwastethatisalreadyoccurring.AcrossCanada,andbeyond,therearemanyprojectsnowunderwaywiththespecificaimofcombattingfoodwaste.InHalifax,anewvolunteer-runorganizationcalledFOUNDisworkingto“reducefoodwastebygatheringandsharingforgottenfruitsandvegetables.”26Onalargerscale,theToronto-basedorganizationSecondHarvestworkstocollectwastedfoodfromretailersandrestaurants,thenredistributeittothoseinneed.27Withthehelpofover1600volunteers,SecondHarvesthas

successfullydivertedover116millionpoundsoffoodwastesince1985.28Additionally,acampaignbythecityofVancouvercalledLoveFood,HateWasteaimstoincreasepublicawarenessandeducateconsumersthroughaninteractivewebsitewitharticles,helpfulguides,andhow-tovideosonreducingfoodwaste.29Ultimately,thegrassrootsactivismofinitiativeslikethese,combinedwithpivotalshiftsinfoodcultureandfoodliteracy,willgiveconsumersboththemotivationandcapabilitytotrulyaddresstheissueoffoodwasteinNovaScotia,leadingtoimprovedsocialwelfareandenvironmentalsustainability.

Notes

1MartinD.GoochandAbdelFelfel,“$27Revisited:TheCostofCanada’sAnnualFoodWaste,”ValueChainManagementInternationalInc,2014,http://vcm-international.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Food-Waste-in-Canada-27-Billion-Revisited-Dec-10-2014.pdf2ElizabethRoyte,“How‘Ugly’FruitsandVegetablesCanHelpSolveWorldHunger,”NationalGeographicSociety,2016,http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/03/global-food-waste-statistics/3DietitiansofCanada,“FoodInsecurityinCanada,”2015,https://www.dietitians.ca/Downloads/Public/Food-Insecurity_one-pager_Eng.aspx4FAO,IFADandWFP,“TheStateofFoodInsecurityintheWorld2015.Meetingthe2015internationalhungertargets:takingstockofunevenprogress,”2015,http://www.fao.org/3/a4ef2d16-70a7-460a-a9ac-2a65a533269a/i4646e.pdf5MartinD.GoochandAbdelFelfel,“$27Revisited:TheCostofCanada’sAnnualFoodWaste,”ValueChainManagementInternationalInc,2014,http://vcm-international.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Food-Waste-in-Canada-27-Billion-Revisited-Dec-10-2014.pdf6Ibid.7Ibid.8AngieHobbs,“Foodwaste:howmuchofitisconsumerresponsibility?”TheGuardian,2013,https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/food-waste-consumer-responsibility9DaveGreenbergandJenniferGreenberg(AbundantAcresFarm),interviewbyHannahEstabrook,October2016,voicerecording.;LindaBest(FarmWorksInvestmentCo-operativeFoundingDirector),interviewbyHannahEstabrook,November2016,voicerecording.10QMIAgency,“Nearly12%ofdisposableincomegoestofood:CFA,”TheTorontoSun,2011,http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/02/12/17252806.html11AngieHobbs,“Foodwaste:howmuchofitisconsumerresponsibility?”TheGuardian,2013,https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/food-waste-consumer-responsibility12ClareMellor,“NovaScotiarichinfarmers’markets,”TheChronicleHerald,2014,http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1209338-nova-scotia-rich-in-farmers-markets13FarmWorksCo-op,“AboutFarmWorks,”n.d.,http://farmworks.ca/about/

14ProvinceofNovaScotia,“EnvironmentalGoalsandSustainableProsperityAct:ProgressReport2014-2015,”2016,https://novascotia.ca/nse/egspa/docs/EGSPA-2014-15-Progress-Report.pdf15AtlanticCanadianOrganicRegionalNetwork(ACORN),“InsightsfortheCommunitySupportedAgricultureModelinAtlanticCanada,”2013,http://www.acornorganic.org/media/resources/ACORNCSAReportApril22-2013FINAL.pdf16LindaBest(FarmWorksInvestmentCo-operativeFoundingDirector),interviewbyHannahEstabrook,November2016,voicerecording.17BrianVanOchten,“Changinglivesfromfarmtofreezer,”MichiganFarmNews,2016,https://www.michfb.com/MI/Farm_News/Content/People/Changing_lives_from_farm_to_freezer/18U.P.FoodExchange,“About,”2015,https://upfoodexchange.com/about/19AnneMarieBonneau,“8TacticstoReduceFoodWasteatHome,”TheZero-WasteChef,2015,https://zerowastechef.com/2015/04/16/8-easy-tactics-to-reduce-food-waste-at-home/20AlisonHoward,JessicaEdge,andDanielMunro,“What’stoEat?ImprovingFoodLiteracyinCanada,”2013,http://opha.on.ca/getmedia/0dde51a8-d0a0-47f2-b567-8d385ac095f8/Improving-Food-Literacy-in-Canada.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf21TradeSchoolHalifax,“About,”n.d.,http://tradeschool.coop/halifax/page/About/22TradeSchoolHalifax,“PastClasses,”n.d.,http://tradeschool.coop/halifax/class/past23HalifaxSeaport,“PastEvents,”2017,http://www.halifaxseaport.com/events/?action=tribe_photo&tribe_paged=1&tribe_event_display=past;MusquodoboitHarbourFarmers’Market,“Events,”2017,http://www.mhfarmersmarket.ca/events.html24AlisonHoward,JessicaEdge,andDanielMunro,“What’stoEat?ImprovingFoodLiteracyinCanada,”2013,http://opha.on.ca/getmedia/0dde51a8-d0a0-47f2-b567-8d385ac095f8/Improving-Food-Literacy-in-Canada.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf25Ibid.26FOUNDForgottenFood,“WhatisFOUND?”2017,http://foundns.com/about/27SecondHarvest,“About,”2016,http://www.secondharvest.ca/about28Ibid.

29MetroVancouver,“WhyItMatters,”LoveFood,HateWaste,2017,http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.ca/why-it-matters/Pages/default.aspx