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Food waste: 5 graphics that show just how much food we throw away

Click to play video: 'How much food is wasted in Canada every year?'
How much food is wasted in Canada every year?
How much food is wasted in Canada each year? – Sep 23, 2016

Be honest: How often do you throw away food? Maybe that can of peas has gone past the expiry date, or maybe that bunch of carrots doesn’t look as fresh as it should. Most likely, you toss it in the garbage.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about 1.3 billion tonnes of food gets wasted each year, with fruits and vegetables accounting for the highest amount of food wasted.

In Canada, we’re no different.

And that waste costs us a pretty penny.

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About 47 per cent of food is wasted at home, with the other 53 per cent of waste occurring through the food chain, what is referred to as the “value food chain.”

And we’re fussy: we don’t like seeing fruits or vegetables that aren’t appealing. Loblaw has begun addressing the issue of food waste by launching it’s Naturally Imperfect line of fruits and vegetables in some provinces and territories.

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And the amount of food waste that makes its way into landfills generates methane which is 25 times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide.

 

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You can help reduce food waste with these tips:

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