WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Food Council is taking part in a campaign to help reduce food waste in the city and encourage people to save some money.
Coun. Brian Mayes, the chair of the Winnipeg Food Council, said food waste has always been an issue, but it has gotten even worse during the pandemic. This is because people are buying in bulk so they can avoid going to the grocery store, which is ultimately causing food to spoil and be thrown out.
“Part of our problem is organic waste going into the Brady landfill,” he said.
He said the Winnipeg Food Council has now partnered with the Love Food Hate Waste campaign to “try and educate people and encourage them to reduce the amount of food waste.”
The goal of the campaign is to try to educate residents on the environmental impacts of food waste and the importance of becoming more sustainable. It also aims to provide people with tips on how to avoid food waste, which can help to decrease grocery bills and increase food security.
Mayes noted there are some small things people can do to reduce food waste, including planning out your meals before you go grocery shopping and having a ready-to-eat shelf in the fridge.
“Fairly simple straightforward things that you go, ‘Oh, I could probably do that,’” he said.
Mayes noted how on average, Canadians throw away about $1,000 of food a year, 63 per cent of which is actually edible.
“It’s actually kind of startling when you see that,” he said.
Mayes encourages people to look at the campaign and adopt any changes that they can.
- With files from CTV’s Nicole Dube.
