It's Time to Stop Wasting Food


In her cozy office tucked away on the third floor of the University Centre, Maryann Moffitt is working on a project that could help significantly reduce waste on campus and nourish people in the community.

Maryann is a dietitian at Food Services, the group on campus responsible for the managing uOttawa's food service contract. But since she arrived on campus just a few short years ago, she has also worn the hat of sustainability practitioner, a role that that Chartwells added to the University's food service contract.

But don't think for one moment that she has taken this adopted role lightly. Since the beginning, it has been a baptism by fire. Maryann has successfully worked on the uOttawa Fair Trade Campus designation, helped Food Services earn a certification from the Green Restaurant Association, and now she has helped create a process to help donate unpurchased food to local community organizations.

Donating food is not as easy as one might think. The food service industry has been plagued for years by disinformation and urban myths about the perils of food donation. We've probably heard that grocery stores and restaurants can't donate their food for fear of legal action if someone got sick.

And although this seems like a legitimate concern on the surface, it actually bears no water. Since 1994, food donations have been protected under the Ontario Donation of Food Act, a piece of legislation that protects organizations who donate food with good intention. Despite this tool having been around for almost 25 years, organizations still have a difficult time getting their excess food to those in need.

One major factor is education. It seems that ignorance about food labeling is widespread in North America, with many people not knowing the difference between expiration dates, best before dates, and display until dates. One can hardly blame consumers for not knowing the difference between all these labels and when food can still be eaten, let alone donated to others.

And that only really applies to packaged foods. There is a whole other set of complicated compliance issues that pop up when you start talking about unpackaged foods, already prepared foods, and other kinds of perishables.

Another big issue that factors in is the logistics involved with moving unsold food from shelves to shelters. Two years ago, Dr. Leblanc, a professor in the Faculty of Education, challenged the institution to donate its unsold food. Having become frustrated with the idea that perfectly good food was going to waste every day simply because there was no one to transport it to those in need, Dr Leblanc and some volunteers pioneered a simple procedure to gather the donations and deliver them safely to St Joe's Supper Table (adjacent to the campus).

This process was mimicked by the Office of Campus Sustainability, who confirmed that it was viable and could be expanded on campus. Shortly thereafter, Maryann and her team devised a way to scale up the process, starting with baked goods and working towards hot meals.

During a 6 month period, the University of Ottawa has sent 5526 kilograms of food to local charities

This summer, the  University of Ottawa reached an important milestone; 5,500 kilograms of food recovered and donated to the community over a six month period. A good deal of this came from the cafes on campus, but the majority came from the annual Founder's Breakfast, an event that celebrates the contributions of employees on campus.

Needless to say that the program is always evolving. The simple act of collecting this food for donation has revealed a good deal about the sources of food waste on campus. Often they can be traced back to seemingly innocuous practices that don't add up to much as a one off... but repeated over and over again can lead to sizable quantities.

Moving forward, the University will look at ways to reduce food waste at the source. But also, the institution is hoping to find ways to funnel more food into the donation pipeline. Although it will not be an easy task, Maryann and the staff at Food Services are committed to finding a better way. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and anything worth doing well is worth the time it takes to do it.

If you have any ideas about how to cut down on food waste, we would love to hear your suggestions. Although the solutions are not always obvious, with your help we think that we can change the story when it comes to food waste.

~ jonathan rausseo - campus sustainability manager

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