Feeling Good About Food Waste

Ethical considerations on how you address store waste and how you decide what to stock

By Carolyn Camilleri

Food waste is one of the hottest topics in the grocery world. But it isn’t just about shrink — the costs associated with product loss. Rather, it is about what to do with food that can’t be sold or donated.

That’s where operations like Loop Resource can help — by taking organic waste from stores and bringing it back to farms as feed for animals.

Launched from Dawson Creek, B.C. in 2014, the Loop Resource program has spread from coast to coast across Canada and as far north as Whitehorse.

But Loop isn’t just about feeding all the organic store waste to farm animals — in fact, they can’t because Loop has strict food safety requirements and CFIA-compliance standards to meet in providing that feed. Instead, Loop is very much about increasing awareness around the value of food, where it comes from, and how to keep it out of landfills and compost heaps.

“In our small way, we like to think we’re building the food landscape that we all want to live in, where it’s diverse and as local as can be,” says Jaime White, director of new projects at Loop Resource.

White’s tips for grocers are simple and practical.

First, sell everything you can and discount as appropriate, including marked down in store and using Flashfood-style apps, which can also serve as a customer acquisition tool.

Second, donate food to charities. White encourages store managers to meet with the charities directly to build a relationship and find out what they need and don’t need.

“Charities are a big part of your relationship with your community,” he says. “Anything you can give them, please give to them and support them directly, but do not profit an organization instead of the charity.”

Third, work with a program that brings food waste back to your local farms.

“We, or someone like us, can be your third leg to make sure you have no impact on the environment in a negative way and that as much food as possible goes to good use inside your community, producing more food,” says White.

White also happens to be the Loop Resource founder and his farm was the first in the program.

“We’re mostly farmers running this program. We work hard to grow it, so sell the food we grow and if you can’t, give it to people who are hungry, and if you can’t do that, give it back to us, and we’ll turn it back into food,” he says. “That’s the basic promise of the program.”

The program objective is to get the food as quickly and efficiently as possible from the store directly to a farm, ideally within the first eight hours so it is still suitable for animal feed without ending up as compost.

“Our utilization rate is around 95 to 98 per cent, so two to five per cent of the average load will be compost, and that’s what we would consider an appropriate level,” says White.

While compost is much better than landfill, it still affects climate change unless it is in a fully enclosed system, because compost generates heat and greenhouse gasses, making it “less good” than feeding it to an animal.

Loop attracts grocery retailers by providing a way to reduce a store’s garbage costs — and the program does that. But over time, White says other benefits become apparent: increased shrink awareness, alignment with staff values, and impressed store customers. That overall food awareness is very much in line with values related to local producers, food security, and climate change.

Dan Bojarski, project specialist for Alberta-based Cornerstone Co‑operative, says adopting the Loop program at their stores was smooth and efficient.

“Initially, we introduced the program at one location to evaluate its operational impact, which was minimal,” says Bojarski. “Given its success and the alignment of our organizational goals, we expanded to three additional locations.”

Chris Theoret, B2C operations manager for Manitoba-based Homestead Co-op, agrees and says the Loop program has been well adopted overall.

“Like any change, it required some time for adjustment, but the coaching and preparation provided by Loop played a significant role in helping our team embrace the transition smoothly,” says Theoret, adding that working with the Loop team has been a great experience. “They have been flexible, accommodating, and respectful of our time demands. Their deep understanding of the food industry has made the collaboration seamless. We currently have two stores successfully participating in the program, with a third set to join later this fall.

Bojarski praises Loop’s flexibility and responsiveness to evolving needs.

“Their proactive approach in addressing issues, such as managing product loss due to refrigeration failures by coordinating with local farms, has been invaluable,” he says. “This collaborative effort has contributed to our impressive waste diversion rate, which currently exceeds 90 per cent. The Loop team’s effectiveness plays a big part in advancing our sustainability goals and supporting our community-focused mission.”

Theoret says the feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Our team appreciates the opportunity to reduce the amount of product going to landfill, and they feel good about contributing to a more sustainable operation,” he says.

Customers like the program, too.

“Team members have noticed an increase in engagement from customers, not only during Loop pickups, but also during their regular shopping visits,” says Bojarski. “There is a level of appreciation that spoiled goods are not going into the landfill, but rather to a second purpose to help local farmers and producers, many our team know by name. This improved dynamic not only fosters a stronger connection with our community but also reinforces our commitment to sustainability, which is a core value here at Cornerstone Co-op.”

Trying out the program out is easy: test it out for 30 or 60 days and see if it works for you.

“We’re just kind of in the middle of 400 and 500 stores on a weekly basis right now and that’s generally seven-day service,” says White. “Right now, we work with around 4,000 to 4,500 farms on a weekly basis that pick up somewhere in Canada.”

And there is room to grow — they have a wait list of about 15,000 farms.

“I’m very optimistic about the future of food. I’m very optimistic about the future of Canada as a country in that food landscape,” says White. “And it’s fun to be able to participate in the ways that we do on a very small scale production level as a participant farmer, and then as part of this program where we get to see the work that grocers do to supply food to our community and how we can make use of the things they couldn’t, because it is one community, one planet, one atmosphere really, and we can work together to make it better.”

Small Change, Big Impact: Italpasta’s sustainability program

Making the most ethical decisions about waste also means knowing your suppliers and their positions on reducing waste reduction and making operations more sustainable. Italpasta is a prime example.

For 35 years, Italpasta has been providing Canadians with high quality pasta made with love and care.

“We also care deeply about the impact we have, both on households and on the planet. says Laura DalBo, director of marketing, communications, and import brands for Italpasta. “That’s why we have committed to making small but impactful changes to operate more sustainably and reduce our waste footprint under our sustainability program — Small Change, Big Impact.”

One of Italpasta’s first steps took place almost eight years ago when they achieved Zero Waste Certification. Zero waste goes beyond simple recycling practices to maximize recycling, minimize waste, reduce consumption, and ensure products are made to be reused, repaired, or recycled back into nature or the marketplace.

“It is an entirely mindful way of operating,” says DalBo.

Italpasta then partnered with U-Pak Disposals, a Canadian company responsible for transporting collected waste and recycling it at their destination site. The recycled material is sent to an accredited Canadian recycling processor. The remaining material designated as waste is delivered to Emerald, another Canadian company that specializes in recovering thermal energy from solid non-hazardous waste and converting it into electricity and steam. The converted energy is delivered back into the community and used as a renewable energy source.

“All the organic waste generated through our production process is collected and instead of being sent to landfill, U-Pak processes the materials to meet the standards of Agriculture Canada so it can be sold as Bakery Waste Dehydrated Meal after being mechanically separated from non-edible material, dried, and ground,” DalBo explains. “They ensure compliance with all relevant environmental regulations and hold the necessary permits for the proper handling and processing of organic waste materials.”

Additionally, Italpasta has been working with the team at TAG Canada (formerly THP Agency) for over 10 years on recipe development.

“They are in alignment with our mission to avoid food waste and are mindful of ingredient selection and use exact quantities for testing to limit the amount of unused ingredients,” says DalBo. “Leftover produce, products, prepared, and frozen goods are all donated to local neighbourhood charities and all prepared meals are provided to staff to ensure no food is wasted.”

Italpasta also encourages pasta lovers to adopt a low-food waste approach to cooking by offering useful tips and tricks on their website and social media to minimize the amount of food waste in their kitchens.

“When our customers purchase Italpasta products, they can feel good about knowing that they are also playing a significant role in raising the bar for a better world and a healthier planet,” says Angelo Boras, VP of sales at Italpasta.