What food waste reduction looks like at one of Canada’s largest grocers
Where does food go when it doesn’t get consumed? Too often, the answer is in the trash. Is it any wonder that nearly half of Canada’s annual food supply becomes waste?
Approximately 47 per cent of food waste in Canada occurs in our homes, when the food in our fridges and cupboards expires before it’s consumed. In recent years, though, there has been more awareness brought to food waste issues at home, while Canadians actively try to reduce surplus food buying.
Meanwhile, Loblaw, with stores like Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Zehrs, and more, is taking important steps to reduce food waste in its stores, having diverted a total of 80,212 metric tonnes (picture 11,000 elephants) of potential food waste.
“By reducing food waste, we can help ensure that all Canadians have access to healthy food, minimize our environmental impact, reduce our cost to serve, and strengthen our relationships with local partners and producers,” explains Loblaw’s Senior Vice President of Operations, Jonathan Carroll, in a recent interview with Daily Hive.
“That leads to a more prosperous food system that benefits our customers, our communities, and our business.” Let’s see how.
Fighting food waste
The first step in reducing food waste is to ensure it’s being eaten before it goes bad.
To achieve this, Loblaw partners with Flashfood, an app that allows shoppers to buy excess inventory and food approaching its best-before date at a steeply discounted rate. When that isn’t possible, they donate to Second Harvest, Food Banks Canada, and Banques Alimentaires du Québec.
“When 90 per cent of Canadians live within 10 kilometres of one of your stores, you have a responsibility to help the communities you serve prosper,” says Carroll.
In 2024 alone, Loblaw donated over 50 million pounds of overstocked and nearing-best-before-date food to partner organizations. Their Feed More Families™ pledge has a goal of donating one billion pounds of food to community-based food charities.
Creative solutions
But what happens when the food passes its best-before date?
“Even when we can’t get the product to consumers, waste isn’t an option,” says Carroll. “For example, we work with Loop Resources Ltd., who use that food to help farm animals.”
In 2024, over 125 stores nationwide sent over 47 million pounds of food to approximately 2,670 farms.
Loblaw has also been known to get crafty, with Carroll admitting, “We’re willing to try anything.” This includes working with ZooShare Biogas L.P., an organization that combines used cooking oil and food no longer fit for consumption with animal manure from the Toronto Zoo to produce renewable electricity (fed directly into the Ontario power grid), and additional partners who convert bakery waste into ingredients for animal feed.
Being the change
Along with waste reduction, Loblaw is also looking inward.
“We also recognize the responsibility we have to limit the impact of our operations, so alongside our food waste objectives, we’re taking decisive action to reduce our CO2 emissions, achieve our net-zero goals, and improve the recyclability of our plastic packaging.”
Consumers can be part of the change by understanding composting and recycling rules at home, only buying what will be eaten, and purchasing food through Flashfood. Food waste is an avoidable crisis, and we can all take action in our own ways.
Branded Content