Canada’s first-ever Upcycled Food Fest aims to launch a new way of reducing food waste in the country.
Running through November, the Upcycled Food Fest will bring together an unprecedented group of chefs, restaurants, food and beverage companies, nutritionists, and grocery retailers. The festival aims to demonstrate how healthy, fully sustainable, and delicious meals can be when upcycled from wasted food.
Upcycled foods use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains, and have a positive impact on the environment.
Powered by Provision Coalition and supported by investment from the Grain Farmers of Ontario and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the festival offers both consumers and companies/organizations around the Greater Toronto Area the chance to use and try upcycled foods to create a positive environmental and social impact.
The Upcycled Food Fest aims to inspire Canadians to consider the issue of food waste and insecurity while supporting local through upcycled food and beverage products.
Citing studies on food waste, the festival notes that a staggering 58 per cent of all the food produced in Canada is lost or wasted. In addition, 60 per cent of Canadians are interested in purchasing upcycled products, and 95 of Canadians want to do their part in reducing food waste.
Leveraging unavoidable by-products from food and beverage companies, the Upcycled Food Fest has worked with nutrition experts and chefs to create new and inventive meals with unavoidable by-products and ingredients currently going to waste.
The Upcycled Food Fest is supported by investment from the Grain Farmers of Ontario and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
“We couldn’t be more excited to launch Canada’s first-ever Upcycled Food Festival to help change the way people think about food waste,” says Cher Mereweather, president & CEO of Provision Coalition. “The amount of food wasted each year is staggering, and the environmental and social impact of it is really unthinkable—especially when over four million Canadians are food insecure. We want to engage both food and beverage companies and the public to show that new, nutritious and delicious meals and ingredients can be made from upcycled ingredients.”
“Grain Farmers of Ontario values sustainability and is proud to have supported this initiative,” says Paul Hoekstra, VP of strategic development at Grain Farmers of Ontario. “We’re excited for the opportunity for more Canadians to enjoy local, Ontario-grown soybean products in a new way that reduces unnecessary waste.”
