Second Harvest and Value Chain Management International to Release Five-Year Update to "The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste" Research Report

TORONTO, Aug. 7, 2024 /CNW/ - Second Harvest, Canada's largest food rescue organization, has commissioned Value Chain Management International (VCMI), a leading public and industry voice in the area of food waste, to co-author and provide a five-year update to the groundbreaking research report, The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste.

Originally published in 2019, The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste revealed that 58% of the food produced in Canada was wasted each year, with 32% of this waste being avoidable. An updated report, scheduled for release later this year, will offer new insights and track the progress of efforts to reduce food waste nationwide. This update will also emphasize the impact of best before dates and climate change on food waste throughout Canada's entire supply chain.

The original report was the very first to quantify food loss and waste within the Canadian food supply chain. It underscored the financial, environmental, and social costs associated with food waste, amounting to a staggering $49.46 billion annually.

"The 2019 report was a wake-up call for all stakeholders in the food industry, emphasizing the urgent need for action to mitigate food waste," said Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest. "Building on this foundation, our updated research will delve deeper into the progress made, challenges remaining, and new strategies emerging to address this critical issue."

The updated report, commissioned with the financial support of Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw), will draw on comprehensive data from across the food supply chain, providing insights into current trends, root causes of food waste and effective solutions that have been implemented since the original publication. The report will also serve as a roadmap for industry leaders, policymakers, and community organizations to further reduce food waste and redirect surplus food to those in need.

"We are proud to collaborate with Second Harvest on this vital initiative," stated Dr. Martin Gooch, CEO of Value Chain Management International. "Our ongoing partnership aims to refine strategies for minimizing food waste, ultimately creating a more sustainable and equitable food system."

"Loblaw is very happy to support this important work. As one of the original supporters of Second Harvest with a commitment to send zero food waste to landfill by 2030 we understand how critical this data is to companies, governments and community partners," Jonathan Carroll, Chair, Loblaw Food Waste Steering Committee said.

The release of the updated report is anticipated to catalyze further action among food industry stakeholders, reinforcing the commitment to reducing food waste and supporting food rescue efforts nationwide.

For more information on the upcoming release of The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste update, visit www.SecondHarvest.ca/Research.

About Second Harvest

Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue organization and is a global thought leader on perishable food redistribution. We work with thousands of food businesses from across the supply chain to redirect unsold surplus food to non-profit organizations that feed communities in every province and territory.

By keeping perfectly edible food from ending up in landfill and redirecting it to the charitable sector, our work prevents harmful greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere and improves access to nutrition for the millions of people in Canada experiencing food insecurity.

In addition to our core work of food rescue, Second Harvest produces research on food loss and waste, provides education and training for the charitable food sector and has developed the Second Harvest Food Rescue App to facilitate direct donations from food businesses to local non-profits across Canada. To learn more, visit www.secondharvest.ca

About Value Chain Management International

Value Chain Management International (VCMI) has authored/co-authored several publications on food loss and waste and is a leading public and industry voice in bringing awareness to the opportunities and solutions surrounding food waste reduction, traceability, and the environment.

VCMI measures waste within the overall analysis of food systems to create pragmatic and sustainable solutions for businesses and industry organizations along the value chain. VCMI applies specialized value chain diagnostic tools to detect where waste occurs and to determine how to eliminate it. VCMI then participates in the implementation of new practices to solve the issues and ensure successful outcomes. www.vcminternational.com.

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's food and pharmacy leader and the nation's largest retailer. Loblaw provides Canadians with grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, financial services, and wireless mobile products and services. With more than 2,400 corporate, franchised and Associate-owned locations, Loblaw, its franchisees, and Associate-owners employ approximately 200,000 full- and part-time employees, making it one of Canada's largest private sector employers.

Loblaw's purpose – Live Life Well^® – puts first the needs and well-being of Canadians who make one billion transactions annually in the companies' stores. Loblaw is positioned to meet and exceed those needs in many ways: convenient locations; more than 1,050 grocery stores that span the value spectrum from discount to specialty; full-service pharmacies at nearly 1,400 Shoppers Drug Mart^® and Pharmaprix^® locations and close to 500 Loblaw locations; PC Financial^® services; affordable Joe Fresh^® fashion and family apparel; and three of Canada's top consumer brands in Life Brand^®, no name^® and President's Choice^®

SOURCE Second Harvest

Media inquiries: For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact: Giao Chau, Interim Director of Communications, Second Harvest, 416.408.2594, [email protected]