Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Food loss and waste (FLW), including food grown and produced but not consumed, harm the environment and human health through air and water contamination. Up to one-third of global food is wasted, with 13% lost between harvest and retail. Reducing FLW improves food availability, reduces pollutants, and benefits the environment. Food rescue redirects unused, edible food from industry, retail and the food service sector, away from landfills and to people in need, addressing food insecurity while reducing waste. To support the food industry in successfully reducing food waste, low-cost, user-friendly tools are required. A realist evaluation of existing food rescue organizations across Canada will explore how, why, under what circumstances and to what extent these organizations effectively divert edible food waste from private businesses like restaurants, retail, and event centers into charity. This study investigates factors influencing success, including infrastructure, financial incentives, and regulatory support, while examining barriers like affordability and ease of implementation. Additionally, it assesses how such initiatives reduce landfill burden, foster efficient food redistribution, and identify context-specific strategies for sustainable food rescue partnerships. This research is nested within a larger 5-phase research project called Second Chance Food that aims to develop a circular economy food system that meets environmental and social needs. This is a PhD student protocol; results and analysis have not yet been conducted. The results of this research will be shared through traditional academic and non-academic means with the goal of contributing the global and scholarly discourse regarding food waste reduction and food insecurity through peer-reviewed publications and presentations, while also advance practical changes through stakeholder engagement to development municipal policy and practice recommendations for local actors.