Julia Kraemer from the Leftovers Foundation in Winnipeg. (Red River Co-Op)
Red River Co-op says a new program they’ve launched is helping to keep perfectly good food from being thrown away.
The local grocer and gas co-op says they have partnered with Compost Winnipeg, Leftovers Food Rescue and Loop to make sure food nearing its sell-by date ends up in the hands of those who need it.
“We knew we had good food going to landfill and we are happy to have found local partners to help build this solution where we simultaneously divert food away from landfill and build more sustainable communities,” said Doug Wiebe, CEO of Red River Co-op.
The program has diverted more than 540,000 kg of food since it began in May of last year.
Leftovers Food Rescue picks up food and takes it local social agencies for clients, while Loop will take food that can be used for animal feed and delivered to rural farmers.
The program also partners with Compost Winnipeg to make sure any other food is composted properly, said Co-op, and the compost is used in community gardens.
-Staff
