Hey everyone, and welcome back to practically zero waste a podcast for making zero waste living as practical as possible. Thanks so much for joining me here today for episode 52 of practically zero waste before we get started. I would be so grateful. If you would take a few seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts And subscribe to this podcast on whatever you're listening platform is reviews also help this podcast be seen by people who are interested in 0 is living ends at 1:00. So feel free to scroll to the bottom of that app and hit as many stars as you would like or write a message. To tell me what you're enjoying today's episode. I'm joined by Lori nickel the CEO of Second Harvest Canada's largest food rescue charity. We talked about their mission to protect the environment and feed the hungry the jaw-dropping amount of edible all of these food. We throw away every year and had to end Hunger and food waste at the same time. Let's go and harvest is Canada's largest food recovery organization. Wow. We are a global thought leader on. Food loss and waste and food recovery and we have a number of areas in our business one is a logistics business which is using a fleet of refrigerated trucks to pick up surplus food from across the supply chain. Our uniqueness is that we are perishable 90% of a food is perishable and we focus on Dairy produce and protein in our Logistics business because that's the food that's hardest to access for low-income people and we deliver that That food to 370 organizations in the GTA. That's crazy. An offshoot of that is we have there so much fear. There's so much surplus food that we often get calls for huge donations that we then broke route across the country. So for example, we have a call for 55 tractor-trailer loads of milk. And so we have to facilitate moving that product so it could be accepted and used and we are that's One Stop Shop for if you have Food donation of any kind call us. We'll always find a way to say yes and figure out a way to move that food. So people are accessing it. Yeah, so that's our Logistics business. We also last year developed an online system called food rescue dossier and that was to ensure that smaller and medium-sized yields could be recovered that didn't make sense for us to send the a refrigerated trust to pick it up because we have an environmental imperative. Active we certainly do not want food in landfill because of the incredibly terrible impact. It's having on our climate food loss and waste if it were country would be the third largest ghg emitter second to China and the US and so we really are focused on this environmental impact. So we're we're giving people tools and Knowledge and Skills so that they can recover funeral communities that product launched across, Ontario this year. It's launched in British Columbia. And we have a three-year rollout recurring with many awesome National Partners, including major retailers Starbucks hundreds of them. So this will just Empower communities to do this with themselves because that's really what we want to do is Empower people that are doing similar work provide them the tools training the collaboration the partnership so that that we can all get this done together. We're all in this together and we believe that That truly at Second Harvest that this is a collaborative approach is the only way we're going to fix this problem. This is so great. And so excited about this stuff because food rescue, where where do I even begin? Why is there such a surplus of edible good condition perishable food why it's a great question. Don't value food the way we should and the way we have grandparents used to we've never actually had to live in a time where there was scarcity. So food is accessible through these everywhere through these pretty cheap. It's a commodity and so intrinsically, I think we've completely lost the value of it. We also produce in Canada and I never you know, kind of Western Country significantly. So all the food that is produced for Canadians the food that is law. Austin wasted is 58% So we lose and waste more food than we consume in Canada. Well, yeah and of the 58% 32% of that could totally be rescued and feed people that's a huge amount of surplus food. Just going into landfill. I think they're sitting wow really got your mental environmental impact. So why we have all this waste we did some groundbreaking research last year. Somebody would recommend everybody look at the avoidable crisis of food waste. On the Second Harvest website, we looked across the supply chain. We work with value chain management International who had done some work prior and built on that but it was a world-first research in terms of this is primary data really getting to that granular. Why are we doing that sit? How can we fix it? And so now this is the road map that is being used through every level of government and working internationally with glow bank and the UN so that we can create a standard what you don't measure If you can't manage and I think we have not been measuring it so back to your question of how we losing it. So many ways at the farm level in production post-harvest retail distribution, and and why often it's an overproduction, so there might not be forecasted and you've grown more than you need and you don't actually have a place to sell it. We're all looking at the Aesthetics and so there are specifications that are required and if you don't meet the specification and don't Get that food that food doesn't go to the consumer and specifications can be minut. Like it could be this a certain curve on a banana, but I'm not kidding ya or size of tomatoes. So you're you're a national or International fast food chain, and you need tomatoes and your tomato has to be a certain diameter. Well, if it's not well the that tomato was grown for this particular vendor. Then you're losing all of the ones that they won't take Jesus. Oh my God. Okay. It's this crazy standard come from is it is it abundance that has made us arrogant or what? Is this? Probably I think that certainly has something to do and those you know, but of the chicken or the egg were What will the Same with except as what industry thinks but I know I would disagree and say industry you have a huge role in it. And I think we'll come around us as consumers. There is this sense of abundance and you know, you can actually see this where if you're going into a retail outlet and I will say retail actually has the smallest amount of waste. I mean they get a lot of times you get a lot of flack at you like yeah. Yeah, but there is actually their margins are so small that they're not really the big contributors interesting but as a consumer are we know it even farmers markets the farmer brings extra food because it is only one head of lettuce. We passed that stall and go to the one that has 10 something in our brain says, oh we need to have something to choose from from have value for us. So how do you connect with people who have a surplus of food if that's restaurants or grocery stores or more likely before it even gets to restaurants or grocery stores. You're contacting farmers. Are you reaching out to farms and factories and stuff? Okay. Yeah, absolutely. How does that process work has been around here. And so certainly there is a lot of reaching out with food providers at the farm manufacture distribution. We work with every major retailer we work with every major chain. We connect people not only with just we can access your food but also providing that education on food safety to make sure that you know, nobody nobody wants to get sued if If they give food away and coming gets are now in Canada, we have legislation and actually everyone in the u.s. To there's legislation that protected any food owner from any kind of liability should somebody just from their food and to be honest. It's never ever happened. Nobody's ever been sued not in Canada or the u.s. So that's important to note too that even when some people think this is a risk its balance risk nobody's ever been sued and not even the states that's you know, people are trying to do a good thing. I think that Yeah, so we have we have to talk them through that piece that everybody's covered and also food safety, especially when you're doing with prepared foods, so we don't want to make people sick. We don't want anyone to get sick. So temperature controls food, there's different risk to it. And so we make sure that that are nonprofit agencies have the skills and training and infrastructure before they can even access that kind of food. So if you have a program, but you don't have a fridge or freezer then right away. You know, you can't access or raw meat because we can't guarantee that cool chain, and that's pretty important. Also, we provide certification and food safety and handling that's good. Yeah. Well, we have no harmonized food safety requirements across Canada, but we think it's really critical especially for nonprofits that is serving marginalized populations because they're often the highest risk population really do require that We're handling our food safely as possible absolutely towel on the other end of this. Do you connect with the people who are receiving the food and who's receiving the food exactly. So yes, we do in a number of ways. So because we were trying to based organization, we work with all organizations that use food in their programming. So I'll give you an example. Some of them are very obvious ones where it's a food bank with the its housing or shelter of some sort of food security is challenge and so we want to ensure they have as much Healthy foods as possible. Hmm. However, there's so much food. We work with any organization that can be issued in their programming. For example, we work with a mental health facility and they work with clients that are dealing with schizophrenia because what this does is it enables them one. It's the food rescue dot c a platform. So it enables a group of marginalized people to interact with the community by receiving these food donations and going from Starbucks to Starbucks Starbucks and the other food providers and then they have enough food to provide them their lunches for the next day. I believe and what that's done is they actually had a food budget a small one, but it allowed them to use that food Budget on programming Library pay for food if you can get it for free and so this actually what they did was bought a van so they could go on Long outings. Oh that's incredible and such a wise use of resources. Exactly and we want to make sure people are using their resources. Versus well, we we inject I think this year will be over 60 million dollars worth of food into the social service sector. Oh my gosh, it's amazing. Right that's amazing and what can people do with 60 million dollars? And I know it's not 69 because some people would not have some organizations will not have food but there certainly is a whole lot of them that get to use their money through direct programming for exactly what their organization is about, which is exactly what they should be. Because everybody deserves food. So why why would free food that's perfectly good not go to the people who need it who could use their money for something else and not tied up in those grocery bills. Wow, exactly. I don't feel so good. It feels so good to know that you're out there doing these things because she lost Has been food waste has been diverted since in a year. What's the average that second harvest can divert so every year it increases I think I'm not I know what last year was 15.6 million pounds of food was diverted. I think over the course of our of the question Second Harvest. It's almost 200 million pounds of food, but we're also growing right as we're recognizing. This issue is really the environment. It'll issue. It's getting a lot of attention right now, which is great. Yes, because we really do need this kind of support and we don't have a food issue in Canada. We have a distribution issue and so at Second Harvest with one dollar we can provide two meals because we're not actually buying the food which is Distributing the food. What is the damage of food waste on our environment for anybody? I mean this is episode 52 of practically zero waste. So if you've been listening to this from the beginning you probably know the effects of Food waste on the environment but for anybody who's just starting today, what is the damage to climate change because food going into landfills produces methane gas methane gas is 25 times hotter than carbon. And so it has and it has a direct affiliation to all these floods with seeing all the fires were saying like I think in Canada was seeing it and it's happening in Canada at a higher rate. Eight than any other region in the world and food waste, I would recommend everybody read the book drawdown. Yes. It's a really I shouldn't say simple because nothing is ever simple but erratic is maybe one of the simpler ways of managing. This climate crisis is really looking at the food that's wasted across the supply chain, not only because of the environmental crisis, but because economically it just makes sense for your business not to waste food exactly. So at Second Harvest About prevention first always prevent any freeway from happening whatever is whatever can't be prevented see people with it. Hmm. And you know, there is a an inverted pyramid of how you manage surplus food, but it is perfect always prevent and then people and animals like with just never want to see anything going to landfill ever Mmm Yeah. What is the effect of like my backyard compost isn't is the problem of food waste in a landfill that it's highly concentrated methane that's being produced. That's just it's just not disintegrating. Yeah. Oh exactly. So in a in a composter in a backyard, it's breaking down. It's becoming carbon or its remaining carbon, but the carbon staying in the soil or exactly yeah. I mean, it's great that people have that you have that but I think one of the challenges at least in Toronto is but don't think of it as waste because it's sitting inside of a green bin. It's still late. No moose. It almost feels like it's you're not doing anything. You don't need almost feel like you don't have to you're not part of the problem. But the truth is we're all part of the problem. Yeah, and so we really would rather not have a green bin. Yeah, nominal green bin, but it gives us this sense of oh, well, I'm doing my part. Not if the green bins full albums, but yeah, yeah exactly. So yeah, that's the same thing with obviously recycling bins are like a Band-Aid you're saying that you recycle and I'm grateful that you're recycling as long as it's washed and it's sorted properly. But like what if that wasn't even going into the recycling bin what if you were buying something that didn't need to be recycled ever. I mean if you got ya. It changes what may have been recycle exactly may not be here. So I think there's just an exactly as a whole package because a whole. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that one needs a whole separate episode of God. Get involved through the food rescue program say you're a business owner or a farmer's market or anything like that. What what do they have to do to get involved in that simplest thing in the world? Just go to Not see a go on the website there. It's very intuitive and we'll walk you through if your food donor you hit the food owner buttons and walk you through terms and conditions that will allow you to use this platform. And that goes to the same for Social Service organization. We have staff at Second Harvest at work. Well that work across the province and in British Columbia that can walk you through the system. We have dedicated staff that work directly with food businesses and food donors, so So if you're having any challenge while you work through the system, we're here to help and then it's really as simple as okay. I've registered there's food here and you would input the type of food the category of food that you have and the weight of it and any other kind of notes that you might want to include and it just goes out and hangs to the community and what we found is primarily like that's a that's great for the first couple times. But if you are someone that are not Edition that has food surplus every day or a lot once a week it kind of moves into this reoccurring pattern so you don't actually have to do that every time just go into a reoccurring pattern and then the agency would just validate. Yes. I got XYZ. I got two pounds of apples and 10 pounds of bread and they would validate that but and what that does is it provides the food business the most beautiful data and metrics. So you see this massive that shows you how many ghgs you converted shows you how many meals you provide? Added it shows you the financial imbalance that that's impacting the organization. And also if you're like a organization that has many franchises or many business underneath you can roll that all up so you can see what each individual business is doing and as a large organization what your impact is, that's great and people love data is that at all useful for some sort of charitable tax receipt thing or I don't know how that would work. Yeah. That's true. Well, That's it, though. So tax receding in Canada is is different than in the states and America you get have a taxable benefit to donating surplus food. We don't have the same thing in Canada. We do have a tax receipt for Farmers so they can access one and if your food has a fair market value, then we can tax receipt but to be honest most businesses don't actually ask for a tax receipt and I'm also on the left a member of the zero waste Council of Canada and it wasn't things we thought we push and Industry just didn't seem to like have a big interest in it. So, all right. Nice because we're Canadian. Let's live up to that standard people. That's awesome. What is the zero waste Council of Canada? How is this the first I'm hearing of this National zero waste Council. Okay, so it is it's a whole bunch. Stakeholders from different Industries. So there's government industry and Geo Academia. We work on different pillars. I obviously work on suit. So I'm the co-chair of the food working group and there's an architect and there's textile I should say architect. That's Rock. So it stre wasted and textile waste building ways. That's what I'm struggling with. No ma'am. And so there's actually an offense coming up that I would highly recommend you go to where is it? It's in Sorry making teleconference. And so this is one way of you know, what is what are we driving towards? And how can we get there together? Yeah, great. I love meeting other people who are I mean virtually meeting or over the phone right now, but League meeting other people who are doing. Things that are just as exciting as a podcast. It's awesome. It's big. It's really that's a slow-moving process but it is moving right it's moving the day and yes, I really believe we have a very clear Mission and that is awesome wasted. So our goal is not to run a charity our goal is to go to business and fix the problem. Wow, that that's what we're doing you rock. That's great. Can you tell me about beating our future and your training and education programs at all? Of course, I can't so feeding. Our future is a summer lunch program for summer pants and it is specific to the city of Toronto where student attrition occurs in every Province. Although it needs to be funded better. But the Ontario government does fund it. So people up so children youth have access to food in schools. But what happens in the summer, so we actually only supplemented with surplus food. This is purchased food, but we had volunteers make lunches and I think we did 42,000 much has this year because typically they're trying to integrate surplus food more but we also have to make sure surpluses you never know. What's going to come right just less predictable. So that's are feeding our future program training and It comes in many forms. We have five kitchens across the city of 12 and they're called Harvest kitchens. And that's where we provide raw ingredients to training kitchen that train people with barriers to employment and they transform it into wonderful meals that are then picked up and delivered by our Fleet to organizations that don't have kitchen facilities would like to have prepared food, right? So you do offer not just we have a surplus of apples. In a surplus of whatever you can also say here. We have some pizzas that have been prepared or what other kinds of meals. Would you prepare in your kitchens? Oh, yeah, I would say pizzas is probably not one of them. But what else sorry like that's an easy meal to make a lot of casseroles or just chicken and potatoes. That's amazing. So then those low-income people or people who are trying to learn new skills through your training and education programs. Are they receiving compensation or they getting meals out of this or like I make all of the above, okay. Developmental disabilities and it is they're paid a stipend is to get skills training so that they can place them in a job so that they're actually going into a job right after this. Yeah. He's careful Boys and Girls Club they work with the local high school and they train Criminals and so that might actually lead them into a job or lead them into a culinary skills program. That is at a college level. It's all a little bit different intense for them. All is this a like let's train people. Let's get people excited about food and it's like a black box event every day, right? You never know what's coming. It's not part of our skills training. We also do work. Incorporating an e-learning as I said earlier, we do certification for food safety and greet. We we do nutrition education. We also do food waste education so that people can learn how to provoke organization we are business in this can learn how to minimize any ways that they're creating. So is that with restaurants or you said businesses, but like who's who's learning how to prevent food waste some businesses? So we've gone in and audited and helps them. Determine what that food loss of length is and how that they can position themselves for food rescue dot CA because there is going to be some Surplus some of them are social service organizations some of our schools. So we work with all the many of the colleges and me do a bit of lecturing and we work with universities. Oh, that's so good. Yeah, if anybody wants to know we're all about sharing we want to share seriously. Yeah, so, how could I bring second? Harvest anywhere in Canada to give a presentation about any of those topics see what connects to Second Harvest. Yeah, so you guys have people in every Province or is one of the mandates of Second Harvest to deal with climate Justice focusing on the fact that the majority of people that are causing greater damage to the environment will likely be the last to feel its effects the people creating crazy amounts of food waste and surplus are not the people who are going to feel the pangs of climate change first. Our mandate is environmental. So when we talk about who's feeling climate change for sure it's going to Helping countries that are feeling it what and it's because of what we are doing in more developed countries. So I mean, even if a farmer is creating and I feel like in Canada, they're probably feeling it too with floods and whether the way it is, so how do we adjust it? I mean I think for me it's more about collaboration. So people when they know better they do better so we work across the supply chain and you know, there's an economic benefit to not having food waste honestly. So yeah. So I and I'm noticing a shift like I'm noticing even in the past two years. Yeah, except where businesses are creating targets. They're starting to measure and I mean Step One is measure so we haven't even been measuring as I said earlier will working internationally with other organizations that would like to embed food recovery into their countries. And so we give them again the tools and the knowledge to do that, but even two years ago, we were with the The world bank and they hadn't connected time it to food waste and working with they were working in silos. So again, the more you know, the better you do nobody nothing is absolutely end and draw down. Does that connection to they also emphasize like it's in the to the list of top 10 solutions to climate change or drawing down carbon is two of them were food waste related back and I'm going to Canada. We're not you know, we're not doing good. We're in the top 10. Yeah. We're a very small country. But we are what are your tips for people to reduce waste in their own homes? Well, I would say shock less like my last when you're shopping recognizing well busy and we do bulk shopping count how many times you're cleaning out your fridge and but you're cleaning out and add up what that is in terms of actual money. Like we're losing everybody's bruising about $1,700 aggregate Lee annually on That they're just throwing away. Oh, no, I'm fine. I thought what I shop less like by less when I do weekly shop. Yes. Yeah. I'm still like there's still extra food like light happens your friends call you want to go out whatever is like their kids have a game. So there's that understand best before dates best before dates are not expiry dates that's before has nothing to do with food safety and only five foods that expire in Canada. Who are they? They're it's baby formula. So and that's based on the nutrients or two. Child needs them. So if it's past its expiry dates, you know, you could compromise a young systems of absolutely don't do that. Another one is like meal replacements looking sure for seniors. And again same reasons people need those nutrients to be healthy lights. You could still consume it but it wouldn't be doing its job at that point. Exactly. That's exactly right. Okay. Another one is a real replacement and two of them are by prescription. Only one is for feeding tube and one is So that's it the rest of the best before dates that manufacturer generated stocks. The CFI a rule is the manufacture date it's conservative and it's based on Peak freshness. So and even then it's conservative. So, you know, I think Public Health did a great disservice with the when in doubt throw it out and we have to change our mindset around that nothing happens at the stroke of midnight that's before does not mean bad after so just use your Use your senses to determine if it's good or bad that's green. Likely 99% of the time. It's just fine. Yeah, so what about I think the biggest thing for people is meat and dairy that is the most concerning with special for an expiry. So do you have any tips with that? I absolutely have advice for every thank you, please go on. The eggs right like everything can be frozen. So if you freeze it on the date of its best before it's fine. And what will happen is like you can have it in your freezer for like a year, but it's not a safety issue. It's just right. It's just your palate. Yeah, so freezing your food and don't forget about it. Once you freeze it. Yeah, exactly. And do you have creative tips for using up food way so or not food waste but food that is still edible that you're just kind of like, uh, like I don't You know how to eat the rest of this cauliflower or I don't know how to get the rest of this jug of milk that you know might go bad soon. I don't know exactly and I mean, it's fair like there's a I'll be quite honest. I am not at home cook very often. That's not my big skill is not as a baker, but I do make chili a lot. And that's exactly how I use all of that food. That's great. Yeah that's left over and if you've got milk that you know, is there something you want to bake? There's always bananas in my fridge. So we were there some kind of dessert you can make with it. So sometimes it goes like that and the great the kitchen like me look at the recipes. Like I always look up recipes for ingredients or less because that's who I am but that's great and just typing into whatever your search engine is the five or six ingredients that you have in your fridge. They just kind of like how does how do these things go together? Tell me internet found it works it works every time. Actly and also I find that if you see your food waste it changes things. So I like I recommend people putting it in glass on the counter and then you can see it at up and especially if you have children, they will shame you my children all adults now, but I've been seeing this happen where you have to set yourself a Target is such an important thing and that's the same with reducing your waist is taking kind of a Audit seeing what you're throwing out and looking for Alternatives. So seeing what food waste is going in your garbage can and or in your compost and being able to identify. Oh, well, maybe I'm not I'm not really a chef this week. This week is busy and so I should not be buying this much groceries, especially fresh produce and fresh perishable foods that can Harvest is awesome. We're all part of it. I took your advice and froze some doughnuts because she couldn't eat them before they go stale. I don't know who can't eat box full of donuts. And having it but your mother your Donuts in the freezer and then they're kind of weird coming out of the freezer. Like the the glaze is kind of like dribble to the bottom of the container anyway, so I was like about to throw them in my composter and I was like, no I can do that. What did I make French toast with donuts. So I slice them in half and I just asked the internet the internet's the smart one somebody I internet. And yeah, I made french toast and it was so delicious. Right? Exactly and then you can eat donuts for breakfast. Yeah, and then creativity and rethinking waste and looking for how you can get a second harvest out of every every meal even another person be found on the podcast Anthony went and he was able to talk about how he's had people over for dinner and they were going to scrape them. Plates into the garbage if they didn't have like if they didn't finish the whole thing and he's just like, well, what are you doing? You put that back in the pot and I will eat it later changing. Your whole mindset is exactly the behavior change a lot of behavior change and climate matters to most people. With you online and social media platforms that people can reach out to you. Listen all . CA when you can access surplus food for your programs, that's so good. Right? So I meant to ask this earlier about the if my Farmers Market registers and in says we have this much food, it'll ping all the shelters in the area or whoever's in need of food. But do they also have to go on and register themselves as something that they would like to receive notifications when there's food in the area exactly. Okay. So the so the the nonprofit's are also registered. Okay, so if you are a non-profit. Futur if you are somebody who has a surplus of food, then everybody get on to food rescued at Sea a and be able to connect all the food because nothing should be going to landfill ever amazing. This was such a good conversation. Thank you so much Lori. Thank you so much. This was fun. Good. Thank you. Again. Thanks again for listening everyone. If you'd like to learn more about Second Harvest head to Second Harvest at CA you'll find the link to their website as well as their incredible report on the avoidable prices of food waste in the show notes below. If you enjoyed today's episode the new would definitely enjoy episode 7 takeout and food rescue with the go market app all about feeding the hungry with the excessive Surplus in this world the solutions to our problems can seem painfully obvious. Sometimes you can find that episode along with all the rest in our archives wherever you get your podcasts if you'd like to contact the show you can send an email to Typically zero waste at gmail.com or find us on Instagram and Facebook at practically zero is POD. And if you'd like to support me in all the work that goes into the show, you can always go to Anchor dot f m / practically zero waste and hit the support button. That's all for now. Have a great waste-free week everyone and talk to you soon.
Food waste is avoidable in SO MANY WAYS but it's not just up to the individual. Second Harvest, Canada's Largest food rescue charity is hard at work to connect farmers and distributers who have a surplus of edible, perishable foods, with the people who don't have access to fresh healthy food on a daily basis. Check out my conversation with CEO of Second Harvest Lori Nikkel about the damage food waste does to the environment, the obvious solution of taking the surplus to give to those in need, and exactly how Second Harvest accomplishes such a monumental task. Second Harvest's Website: https://secondharvest.ca/ To sign up for the Food Rescue Program: https://www.foodrescue.ca/ Report: The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste: https://secondharvest.ca/research/the-avoidable-crisis-of-food-waste/ Find Second Harvest on social media @secondharvest Listen to Episode 007 of Practical(ly) Zero Waste about Food Rescue: https://anchor.fm/practicallyzerowaste/episodes/007--Take-Out--Food-Rescue-e2ge89 New episodes every Sunday, at 8:00 am. 