Appetite for app connecting surplus food with local charities only growing in Sudbury, Ont.

For a growing number of people, holidays like Thanksgiving trigger the realities of food insecurity and food waste.

In recent years, advocates and non-profit organizations alike have been working to curb those issues, such as the Second Harvest Food Rescue.

In 2018, the non-profit app launched as a pilot project in select locations, including Sudbury, Ont. The online platform connects companies with edible surplus food with non-profit organizations that work with people experiencing food insecurity.

Daniel Collings is the senior manager of the app's Ontario operations. He said the appetite for the online resource has only grown, since it was first established.

Definitely through COVID, there was a surge of donations that came through. Daniel Collings, Second Harvest Food Rescue

The app is now available acrossCanada.

"We now have 55 donors that are utilizing the program, so we've been continuing to grow our donor network on the platform. As well as the not-for-profit organizations that are involved. So currently, since launch we have 53 local not-for-profits in Greater Sudbury that are utilizing the platform," he said.

"Definitely through COVID, there was a surge of donations that came through with some of those business closures that helped to redirect to a lot of individuals, through some great organizations within the community."

MairiBest is the acting chair of the Greater Sudbury Food Policy Council. She said while Canada has been slow on the issues of food waste and insecurity, she's pleased to see moreinitiatives similar to the food rescue app crop up.

Pros and Cons

"In a numberof jurisdictions in Europe, they'vebanned grocers from throwing out food into dumpsters. I think that says a lot," she said.

In Canada, Best said that she's noticed grocers sell "less-than-perfect produce," which otherwise would be thrown out and contributeto the issue of food waste.

However, Best said the app model is somewhat limiting in cases where the apps are connecting food companies directly with individuals, as not everyone has access to the internet.

But overall, the initiatives are greatly needed.

"There's a number of examples, of essentially retail stores, that are selling things at a much reduced price but it is addressing a market of people who want to put their money toward avoiding food waste," Best said.

So far, Collings said the Second Harvest Food Rescue app has saved nearly 48,000 pounds of food and put into the hands of people who need it. He adds that, the app has also helped to avert about 139 tonnes of green house gases by preventing food from being tossed into the garbage and ending up atthe dump.

"I really think food brings people together and there is a lot of waste," he said, "There really is a lot out there that is going to landfills that could end up really serving and helping others."