busting foodlabeli t myths

Introduction to Second Harvest

• Overview of Second Harvest organization

  • Canada's largest food rescue organization.

  • Focus on reducing food waste through partnerships with food suppliers.

• Today's focus on:

  • Food waste crisis in Canada.

  • Understanding food date labels and safety.

Food Waste in Canada

• 2019 Research Report by Second Harvest: "The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste"

  • Partnered with research organizations for comprehensive data collection.

• Key Statistics:

  • Nearly 50% of food produced in Canada is wasted annually, including imports.

  • Costing approximately $58 billion per year.

  • Enough food to feed 3.7 million Canadian families.

  • 8.7 million Canadians are food insecure.

• Types of Food Waste:

  • Unavoidable Waste: Byproducts not meant for consumption (e.g., bones).

  • Avoidable Waste: Edible food wasted at various stages in the supply chain.

The Impact of Food Waste

• Environmental effects related to wasted food:

  • Water usage, transportation emissions, storage energy consumption, and labor costs.

• CO2 Emissions

  • 21.2 million metric tons emitted each year from avoidable food waste.

  • Equivalent to approximately 250,001 flights from Toronto to Vancouver.

Second Harvest’s Operations

• Logistics of rescuing food:

  • Trucks and vans for local rescues in Toronto.

  • National rescues through a specific app for coordinating donations.

• App Functionality:

  • Donors enter available food and location on the app.

  • Nonprofits receive notifications to arrange pick-up.

• Community Initiatives:

  • Harvest Kitchens Program: Preparing meals from rescued food.

  • Training and Education Program for nonprofits on food literacy.

  • Feeding Our Future program: Provides food for summer camps for children.

Causes of Household Food Waste

• Statistics: 17% of avoidable food waste occurs at households, costing $3,872 annually per household.

• Common causes of food waste in households:

  • Not utilizing food scraps.

  • Unfamiliar ingredients leading to unused purchases.

  • Improper food storage.

  • Over-purchasing driven by shopping habits (e.g., shopping while hungry).

  • Misunderstanding food date labels, particularly best before dates.

Understanding Food Date Labels

• Main Terms:

  • Expiry dates, packaged on dates, sell by dates, prepared by dates, and manufactured on dates.

  • Focus on Best Before Date and Expiry Date.

• Best Before Dates:

  • Indicates the period a product maintains its taste, freshness, and nutritional value when unopened and properly stored.

  • Does not indicate food safety; many foods are still safe to eat after this date if stored correctly.

  • Required for foods with a shelf life under 90 days.

• Expiry Dates:

  • Required for foods that may lose nutritional potency (e.g., supplements, infant formula).

  • Critical Items:

    • Nutrition supplements, human milk substitutes, very low energy foods.

Safe Food Consumption Beyond Labels

• Guidelines for consumption beyond Best Before dates:

  • Use senses to assess food quality after the date has passed.

  • Examples:

    • Milk: Good 5 days past the Best Before date if unopened and stored properly.

    • Canned fruits/vegetables: Safe up to 9 months past the date if the can is intact.

  • Risk of tossing food unnecessarily due to misconceptions regarding food date labeling.

Identifying Food Safety

• Signs that food may be unsafe to consume:

  • Visible mold, unusual textures, wilting, leakages.

  • Spoiled food should be discarded immediately.

Conclusion and Key Messages

• Importance of education surrounding food date labels to reduce waste.

  • The practice of using senses along with knowledge of labels to minimize food waste.

  • Challenge audience to reflect on how they can change their personal food habits.