The motion did not come to a vote and Ehsassi will probably have to wait until the fall for another session on his motion, which covered providing more product for food banks while encouraging grocery stores to donate still safe food to them to keep it out of landfills where it creates methane as its breaks down.

Conservative speakers pointed out that the Trudeau government promised action on a food waste reduction in 2019 but little has happened at the federal level while provinces and local groups have been trying to help food banks meet the public demand for food.

“Every year, billions of dollars' worth of food goes to waste in Canada,” Ehsassi said. “In 2019, it is estimated that up to 58 per cent of our national food production, amounting to a staggering 35.5 million tonnes, was lost or wasted. It is also estimated that over one-third of such food waste is avoidable and can be recovered. Such waste occurs right across the food production supply chain.”

Food insecurity increased during the Covid-19 pandemic and 18 per cent of Canadian families are estimated to have experienced food insecurity, he said. What is needed are prudent and coordinated policies at the federal, provincial and municipal levels that incorporate the expertise of industry, stakeholders and the non-profit sector. “While we cannot ensure that food waste is entirely avoided, we can certainly take steps to ensure that it is reduced considerably. Wholesome foods should be rescued, recovered and redistributed by non-profits, and what waste remains should be disposed of in a renewable manner.”

Conservative MP Blaine Calkins said that thinking reducing food waste is the solution for the problem of food insecurity. “It is not food waste that is causing spiraling food prices. Canadians, by and large, could afford to put food on the table just nine short years ago. Today, food banks are expecting to see a million more people use their facilities on top of last year's record high, and a third of food banks say they will have to turn hungry Canadians away.”

The problem lies with “inflationary spending and outrageous agricultural policies that have been implemented by a government that clearly does not understand the industry. The result of these disastrous policies is that the average Canadian family will have to pay up to $700 more in food in 2024 than it did just last year in 2023.”

The government launched a $20 million food waste reduction challenge in 2020 and the industry is making rapid strides on its own, Calkins said. Adopting the National Zero Waste Council's proposed food loss and waste strategy for Canada would be the best move.

NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron supported the motion and pointed out that Loaves & Fishes Community Food Bank on Vancouver Island plays an important role helping food insecure people. It has asked Ottawa for funding support for a new warehouse but has not received an answer although the province and local governments have agreed to support it.

This news item was prepared for National Newswatch