FOOD RECOVERY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Food Banks Canada acquires safe, quality foods along with large quantities of essential consumer products from corporate donors and shares them through the National Food Sharing System. These donations are sent to national or provincial hubs for sorting, where they are then equitably distributed to the network of food banks and community organizations across the country.

This program pairs participating national retailers and food service organizations with community food banks to provide fresh, frozen, and non-perishable items along with consumer goods. In a typical year, this initiative redistributes over 15 million plus pounds of food—helping people in need, while also reducing the food waste experienced by retailers and food services.

In some instances, fresh foods cannot be immediately consumed. Rather than have it go to waste, food banks transform these items into nutritious soups, preserves, or other dishes in order to extend the shelf life of the quality surplus. This also makes the food easier to share with other food banks.

Here’s how food banks rescued more than 200,000 pounds of produce to feed their communities.