Finding a home for otherwise wasted food

Food waste is inevitable in the restaurant industry. But amid peaking inflation and rising food insecurity for many in the city, redirecting surplus food could help individuals from going to bed hungry.

Zero Food Waste Hamilton, a McMaster student-led charity organization, is working to bridge that gap between restaurants with surplus food and charitable organizations.

Zilal Afzali, president of the Hamilton chapter, said she launched Zero Food Waste Hamilton a few months after following the work of Zero Food Waste in Calgary in 2020 - where the first chapter of the organization was founded in 2019.

The 21-year-old said she came across the work of the group in Calgary and Edmonton on social media, and was surprised" at the scale of impact it had in a short period.

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, preventable food waste contributes to eight per cent of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

Starting the movement during the peak pandemic restrictions in mid-2020, the now nine-member youth-led and youth-run" team has been working with over 10 grocers, restaurants and bakeries across Hamilton by directing their surplus food to charity groups.

This charities include Welcome Inn, Good Shephard, Neighbour 2 Neighbour, Mission Services, Community Fridges and Native Women's Shelter.

Afzali, who is majoring in sociology, said her prior experience with charities and non-profits in Hamilton has helped (her) see both the struggles that people are facing and the impact that we're able to have on these communities" through the Hamilton chapter.

The process is easy - the team reaches out to restaurants, set up the dates and times, then speaks to charity organizations to ensure that donations will fit their needs.

The volunteers then go out for weekly and biweekly pickups" from restaurants and other community partners, Afzali said. There is no monetary fee involved for community partners.

Because the Hamilton chapter isn't yet a registered charity, Afzali said all community partners making the donations engage for a positive impact they get to make in their community."

We can't provide any tax receipts at the moment. Community partners are partnering ... for being able to prevent food waste and excess emissions going into the atmosphere," she said.

Current Hamilton partners are InFarm Canada, Food Fund Canada, Mai Pai Tiki, Cake & Loaf, Trueshot Coffee, Vintage Coffee Roasters, Dolled Up Desserts, Equal Parts Hospitality, Cowabunga, Brewer's Blackbird, Falafel Papi and Hop Urban Market.

Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com