Advertisement

B.C. food banks want program in place for supermarkets to donate unused produce

Click to play video: 'B.C. food banks want to establish province-wide food recovery program'
B.C. food banks want to establish province-wide food recovery program
ABOVE: B.C.’s food banks are asking the government for help in taking the first steps towards a province-wide program that would save perfectly good food the dumpster, to feed the hungry. Tanya Beja reports – Mar 14, 2017

B.C. food banks say a province-wide plan to help reduce food waste in Quebec supermarkets should be implemented here.

Supermarkets across Quebec are now giving leftover produce to food banks instead of throwing it away.

A network of food banks in B.C. have asked the provincial government to put a similar plan in action.

“It’s the healthy items that we want, the milk and the eggs,” said Marilyn Hermann with the Surrey Food Bank. “The items that children need to grow and grow healthy.”

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

But one of the stumbling blocks could be finding enough facilities to handle all the perishable goods with the price tag coming in at about $10 million.

Representatives from B.C. food banks say they have had to turn down offers from supermarkets and farmers because they have no storage space.

Story continues below advertisement

Foodbanks BC is now asking the province for a grant to buy fridges and freezers.

“Bottom line is, there is enough food to go around,” said Laura Lansink from Foodbanks BC. “We don’t want to be wasting viable food, we’ve got to get it where it needs to go.”

The Ministry of Finance says it is considering the grant.

-With files from Tanya Beja

Sponsored content

AdChoices