Canada faces a significant food-waste crisis, with an estimated $31 billion worth of food wasted annually. This staggering figure represents 40% of the food purchased each year—nearly half!¹

In 2022, the National Zero Waste Council conducted research on household-level food waste in Canada and discovered that 63% of the food Canadians throw away could have been eaten. In addition, each household wastes approximately 140 kilograms of food annually, translating to an average household waste of $1,300 per year. All types of foods are wasted, but a majority consists of fruits and vegetables.^2, 3

Love Food Hate Waste (lovefoodhatewaste.ca) published the following statistics which truly put our waste into perspective:²

Every day, in Canada, we waste…

• 1.3 million tomatoes
• 2.6 million potatoes
• 1.3 million apples
• 1 million cups of milk
• 130,000 heads of lettuce
• 470,000 eggs

Food waste isn’t just about the food itself—it’s also a waste of resources! Growing, producing, and distributing food takes a lot of effort and energy. It has been estimated that Canada’s 2.3 million tonnes of avoidable food waste each year produce the same emissions as 2.1 million cars on the road.²

The most effective way to reduce our environmental impact is to prevent food waste. In this article, I am sharing five ways you can do this in your household.

Plan Your Meals

Planning your meals can significantly reduce food waste. We often shop with the best intentions, but busy schedules can lead to once-fresh produce going to waste. In fact, research indicates that approximately two-thirds of food waste consists of fruits and vegetables.³

• Make a Weekly Plan for Your Meals. Before going grocery-shopping, plan your meals and purchase only what you need. Be realistic and consider your week ahead when planning. What will you have time to prepare? If you must, keep it simple: for example, making spaghetti and meatballs with salad. Avoid buying more than you need or have time to use.
• Check Your Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer. Use what you already have before buying more.
• Create a Shopping List. This helps you stick to your meal plan while minimizing impulse purchases.

Shop Mindfully

Here are two things you can do at the grocery store to help reduce food waste.

• Pick the Imperfect Produce. Imperfect produce is just as tasty and nutritious as its perfect counterpart. A large proportion of total food waste comes from imperfect produce that is rejected before even making it to the grocery store. The good news is that many companies and retailers are recognizing how big of a problem this is and now sell imperfect produce.
• Pick the Ripe Produce. Especially when you will be slicing, dicing, or mincing them into your meals, choose the ripe produce. What will you be using that item for, and can it be ripe? For example, are you using the tomatoes to make tomato sauce or the avocados to make guacamole? If the softness isn’t an issue or can be worked into your meal, choose the ripe produce. Choosing ripe produce in the grocery store can help reduce the amount of food wasted at home.

What about “Best Before” Dates?

“Best before” dates are chosen by companies based on products’ peak quality. That doesn’t mean the product is no longer good after that date: it simply means the product is no longer at its peak quality. In fact, many foods can go bad before the best before date or stay fresh up until way past the date. It’s always best to inspect your food by looking, touching, and smelling to determine freshness.

Buy Local Produce

Buying locally grown food reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting food over long distances. This helps both our environment and supports our local economy. In addition, buying fruits and vegetables in season not only supports local farmers but also ensures you get the freshest produce, which lasts longer and tastes better. Here is how you can buy more locally.

• Join a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program. These programs allow you to support local farmers directly and in return receive fresh, seasonal produce regularly. This not only reduces waste but also fosters a stronger connection with where your food comes from.
• Shop at Local Farmers’ Markets. Farmers’ markets often offer a wider variety of produce than supermarkets, encouraging you to try new things.
• Choose Locally Grown Produce and Eat Seasonally. When fruits and vegetables are in season, you can often find these locally grown foods at your grocery stores. Eating seasonally not only ensures fresher and tastier food but also supports local farmers and reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting out-of-season produce from far away.

Store Your Food Properly

Understand produce needs and how to extend their “shelf life.” Some fruits and vegetables should be stored in the fridge while others do better at room temperature.

Here are some examples:

• Tomatoes and bananas ripen best on the counter.
• Potatoes and onions are best stored in a dark, cool place.
• Herbs do best on your counter, with their stems in a little bit of water.
• Store leafy greens with a paper towel in a crisp drawer or inside a plastic container to maintain freshness. I often like to dampen the paper towel and roll my dark leafy green bunch in that.
• Berries last longer and stay fresher when stored in the fridge. To prevent them from spoiling quickly due to moisture, place them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel. This method helps extend their shelf life. If you have lots of berries that are ripening too quickly, freezing them is a great solution. Frozen berries can be mixed into yogurt bowls, added to oatmeal and cereal, or blended into smoothies.

I recommend using the website of Love Food Hate Waste, which is an excellent resource for food storage tips for produce from A to Z.⁴

Get Creative and Reinvent Your Leftovers

This fall, find different ways to use your leftovers instead of wasting them. You can also be intentional about creating multipurpose dishes. For example, you can make a roasted chicken one night, then use the remaining chicken scraps to make a chicken-and-veggie soup the next night.

• Soups and stews are a great way to use leftover vegetables, meats, and grains. Just add a little broth, some spices, and get creative.
• Casseroles and stir fries are also a great way to use up leftovers and create something new and delicious. I always love to use older veggies to create a stir fry with a protein and rice.
• Smoothies and muffins are a great way to use up overripe fruit like bananas and berries and prevent waste.

Angela Wallace, MSc, RD

A registered dietitian with the College of Dietitians of Ontario, personal trainer, and family food expert who specializes in women and child nutrition and fitness, she loves helping families get healthy together.

eatrightfeelright.ca

References

1.[No authors listed.] “How do we solve Canada’s $31-billion food waste problem?” Feed Ontario.. 20160808.

2.[No authors listed.] “Food waste in the home.” Love Food Hate Waste.

3.von Massow, M., K. Parizeau, M. Gallant, M. Wickson, J. Haines, D.W.L. Ma, A. Wallace, N. Carroll, and A.M. Duncan. “Valuing the multiple impacts of household food waste.” Frontiers in Nutrition, Vol. 6 (2019): 143.

4.[No authors listed.] “Food storage A to Z.” Love Food Hate Waste.