How the FoodMesh program connects grocery stores and charities that feed the hungry
Tom Truchan remembers a time not so long ago when unsalable fresh produce ended up in grocery store trash cans, and welcomes programs like FoodMesh that work to reduce unnecessary food waste. doing.
“A few years ago, stores were receiving pickups from food banks about once a week,” said Turchan, director of food safety for Georgia Maine Food Group. “Dry food items like canned beans and pasta are collected, and then bread is collected, because it lasts for several days, but everything that is highly perishable was going to landfill. ”
Currently, the company's grocery stores supply an estimated 90 per cent of edible food to Metro Vancouver's hungry population, including milk, cheese, meat, produce, bread, unsold sandwiches, pre-made pizzas and almost every other food item found in a grocery store. It is provided to people who are interested. shelf.
In Surrey, two Georgia Main Fresh Street Market stores are participating in the FoodMesh program, now in its eighth year.
“We are a Vancouver-based company,” said Jessica Regan, CEO and co-founder of FoodMesh. “Our job is to be the supporting infrastructure that permanently connects surplus food to a network of charities, farmers and alternative retailers.” It's beautiful food that unfortunately can't be sold, but can be rescued. ”
Some foods may be past the “best before” date printed on the label, but that's okay.
“The expiry date on most products refers to the date past peak freshness,” Truchan clarified. When you open the product, it's like the hands of a clock start ticking. ”
More than half of the food produced in Canada is wasted, Regan said. “Alarming statistics” highlight “deep flaws in Canada's food system.”
Tom Truchan of Georgia Main Food Group and the produce were donated to CityReach Care Society, which serves people living in Surrey and Vancouver. (Posted photo)
Through FoodMesh, more than 220 charities distribute food to people facing food insecurity. Georgia Main Food Group has donated nearly 3.5 million meals since the partnership began in 2020.
“Our model is to pick one major charity and share it with a network of smaller agencies,” Regan explained. “It's a hub-and-spoke model, and we also have a network of farmers who take away food that is no longer edible, making sure it gets to its best end use.”
Grocery collections are carried out daily at the Fresh Street Market store in Surrey's Panorama area, and twice a week by volunteer driver Mani Rajaram from Cloverdale Community Kitchen.
“This really helps because on average we feed about 600 families a day. That includes food banks, mobile meals and community meals, and a lot of this food goes into cooking,” he said.
Surrey Food Rescue: 'Just because it doesn't sell doesn't mean it's not good food'
Mani Rajaram, a volunteer driver for Cloverdale Community Kitchen, picks up food boxes at Fresh Street Market stores in the following ways: @meshexchange program.
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Moussa Azizi, the store's receptionist, checks to see if boxes and crates of food are ready for pickup.
“We try to keep things as fresh as possible so they don't go to waste because we don't want them to sit out any longer than necessary,” Azizi said. “Not all places have programs like this, and I've seen a lot of things go to waste. It's as simple as that.”
Regan pointed out that food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
“The retailers that we work with, the decisions that they're making are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” she said. “Doing the right thing actually has a kind of triple win benefit.”
Regan said there are 60,000 not-for-profit organizations working in food relief across Canada.
“It’s an invisible job,” she said. “Our job is not only to help create the match and make sure it's a reliable pickup, but also to measure it to put a spotlight on this work. Because this Because it's critical work. In Metro Vancouver alone, approximately 800 organizations benefit directly from food rescue. There is always a surplus of food, and we help them make the most of it. Consumers are very picky, and just because something doesn't sell doesn't mean it's not delicious.”
