Food that would’ve otherwise ended up in landfills is now available to people who need it the most. Thanks to this amazing initiative, the Rescued Food Market opened up recently in the Olympic Village in Vancouver.
The executive director of the Food Stash Foundation that’s behind the initiative, Carla Pellegrini explains that they call it rescued food because it was planned for the trash and the landfills if organizations like theirs didn’t take it.
Reusing Food that Would’ve Ended in Landfills
According to Pellegrini, together with her group, they rescue around 70,000 lbs. of food from landfills on a monthly basis and then redistribute it to food programs or to families in need.
This food is acquired from restaurants, farms, and grocery stores. Pellegrini explains that 58 percent of all the food produced in Canada becomes waste.
The UN reports that household food waste in the Great White North is 20 kilos more per capita than that in the US.
Pellegrini who became a director last July also added that food waste happens at every level of the food chain-whether it’s from over-ordering, canceled orders, food approaching best-before dates, etc.
How Does the Market Function?
The food that’s presented in the market is taken on the basis of pay-what-you-can, without any questions asked or strings attached.
Pellegrini emphasizes that one can use the food’s weight to estimate an adequate donation if one wants to. They can also donate what they have or feel like giving or not donate at all.
The shoppers are encouraged to come with their own bags or take the reusable totes they offer. The limit is one per person.
She emphasizes that the market’s primary goal is to enable easy access to food for all people. The charity is welcoming volunteers and donations.
When the charity had surplus food at the end of their weekly operations, they always made sure it reached the families in need.
Food decay in landfills isn’t harmless-in fact, a major percentage of CO2 is produced yearly worldwide from the food that’s decaying throughout landfills.
With this in mind, the organization notes that they’re not just saving money and feeding the ones in need, but also helping the planet.
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