We Are Reducing Food Waste!
ActionsWe are excited to share news of a food waste reduction project we’ve been working on for some time! We knew we had good food going to landfill and we are happy to have found local partners to help build a solution where we simultaneously divert food away from landfill and build more sustainable communities.
This food waste reduction program is first of its kind in our market. We partnered with Compost Winnipeg, and the local chapters of Leftovers food rescue and Loop to divert over 540,000 kg of food since the program’s inception in May 2021.
Food access is a key concern for Red River Co-op. Leftovers rescues food nearing its sell-by date, but is still good to eat, and gets the food to people. Their volunteers pick up food donations from Red River Co-op food stores and takes them directly to social agencies for their clients.
For our rural food stores, Loop resource is used to connect the stores with farmers. Farmers pick up the donated food to use for animal feed, helping them save on costs so they can further invest in their agricultural production.
We also use Compost Winnipeg, a social enterprise of our community partner Green Action Centre, for composting. The composting process reduces methane gas emissions and Compost Winnipeg turns collections into nutrient rich soil for community gardens.