Through the six weeks of the challenge, we invited you to carry out some simple activities focused on different aspects of food use and waste such as mapping your waste, creatively using leftovers, planning meals, applying smarter shopping strategies, and decoding best before labels.
We’ve included links to all the resources, information, tools and methods on this page to support the maintaining of these new habits and to facilitate further sharing to help create positive change.
Food waste facts
63%
Of the food that is thrown away every year, 63% is edible. It could have been eaten!
$1,100
On average, Canadian households throw out 140 kilograms of food every year, worth more than 1,100 dollars.
2.2 million
Across Canada, the result is that 2.2 million tonnes of edible food is lost every year, at a cost of more than $17 billion.
Source: National Zero Waste Council
Resources
Food waste
| Topic | Source | Resource Title | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avoidable Food Waste | Love Food Hate Waste Canada | Food Waste In The Home | https://lovefoodhatewaste.ca/about/food-waste/ |
Meal planning
| Topic | Source | Resource Title | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avoidable Food Waste | Love Food Hate Waste Canada | Food Waste In The Home | https://lovefoodhatewaste.ca/about/food-waste/ |
| Meal Planning | LFHWC | Chef Bob Blumer’s tips for reducing food waste (intro video) | https://youtu.be/kmC0YS7CXSA |
| Planning | City of Toronto – Live Green & Toronto Public Health | Rethink Food – Stop food waste at home | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1TOYdQZu0E&feature=emb_title |
| Meal Planning Apps | – Meal Time- Whisk- Big Oven | https://www.mealime.com/ https://whisk.com/ https://www.bigoven.com/ | |
| Meal Planning | Just Eat It Toronto! Food Waste Challenge | JEIT Meal-Plan PDF | https://drawdowntoronto.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/JEIT-meal-plan.pdf |
Leftovers
| Topic | Source | Resource Title | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loving Leftovers | Lettuce Eat Healthy | 10 Creative Ways to use leftovers | https://lettuceathealthy.wordpress.com/2017/05/20/10-creative-ways-to-use-leftovers/ |
| Leftovers | Love Food Hate Waste Canada | Recipe Ideas | https://lovefoodhatewaste.ca/use-it-up/recipes-ideas/ |
| Leftovers | LFHWC | Five Ways To Revive Food | https://lovefoodhatewaste.ca/use-it-up/five-ways-to-revive-food/ |
| Zero Waste Tips | LFHWC | Bob Blumer’s Zero Waste tips & recipe series | https://lovefoodhatewaste.ca/get-inspired/bobs-zero-waste-tips/ |
| Reality Show | Netflix | Best Leftovers Ever | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMPxve4p4Cg |
Dates
| Topic | Source | Resource Title | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Dates E-Course | Second Harvest | Understanding Food Date Labels in Canada | https://training.secondharvest.ca/login/index.php |
| Food Safety | Government of Canada | How to read date labels and packaging | https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/general-food-safety-tips/how-read-food-date-labels-packaging.html |
| Food Storage – Fridge Guide | Love Food Hate Waste | Where you store food in your fridge matters | https://drawdowntoronto.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/LFHW-NZWC-Fridge_Infographic_1500x1450px_Eng-1-1024×990-1.pdf |
| Food Longevity | Second Harvest | Food Consumption Timetable | https://drawdowntoronto.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Second-Harvest-Donation-Consumption-Guide.pdf |
| Extending Food Freshness | Sweet Simple Vegan | How to make produce last longer | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4doYb2d2sTg&feature=emb_title |
| Extending the life of your produce | David Suzuki Foundation – Queen of Green | Help End Food Waste | https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/help-end-food-waste/ |
Organic waste
| Topic | Source | Resource Title | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Green Bin Waste | City of Toronto | What Happens To Organics? | https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/recycling-organics-garbage/houses/what-happens-to-organics/ |
| City Green Bin Waste | City of Toronto | Turning Waste Into Renewable Natural Gas | https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/recycling-organics-garbage/houses/what-happens-to-organics/ |
Composting
| Topic | Source | Resource Title | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compost | Kiss The Ground | The Compost Story (full version) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqDQD8cvO5Y&feature=emb_title |
| Vermi-composting | Homestead and Chill | Vermicomposting 101: How to Create and Maintain a Simple Worm Bin | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF-jzWKMdwE |
| Vermi-composting | Your Eco Friend – Sophi Robertson | Composting With Worms | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhmDvYr1aIo |
Water
| Topic | Source | Resource Title | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Waste in Food Waste | Barilla Centre for Food & Nutrition | The Water We Eat – Do You KNow How Much Water You Eat Everyday? | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRXNo7Ieky8&feature=emb_title |
| Water Waste | Water Footprint Calculator | Water In Your Food | https://www.watercalculator.org/water-footprints-101/water-in-your-food/ |
Videos
| Title | Creator | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Kiss The Ground (On Netflix) | Kiss The Ground | Trailer: https://kisstheground.com/ |
| Just Eat It! | Link to rent/buy and see trailer: https://foodwastemovie.com | |
| Wasted: The Story of Food Waste | Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcVNFJn7Ng | |
| Sustainable | Link to trailer and to rent: https://sustainablefoodfilm.com | |
| Ten Stories About Food Waste | Electrolux | Link to all videos: https://www.electroluxgroup.com/en/ten-stories-about-food-waste-documentary-invites-to-change-24210/ |
For kids and families
| Topic | Source | Resource Title | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Waste Basics | Ecocaledon | Take Five For The Earth | https://drawdowntoronto.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Take-Five-for-the-Earth-Food-Basics.pdf |
| Food Waste Facts | “ | https://drawdowntoronto.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Take-Five-for-the-Earth-Whats-the-Big-Deal-about-Food-Waste.pdf | |
| Empty Fridge Soup | “ | https://drawdowntoronto.ca/food-waste-challenge/week-3/#gallery | |
| Food footprints | “ | What size is your Foodprint? | https://drawdowntoronto.ca/food-waste-challenge/week-4/#gallery-3 |
| Composting Program For Schools | Highfields Centre | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRXNo7Ieky8&feature=emb_title |