Love Food Hate Waste aims to prevent household food waste. (Photo supplied by the City of Lethbridge)

By Justin Goulet/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Household food waste prevention program coming to Alberta

Jun 29, 2022 | 8:57 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – An initiative aimed at helping people prevent household food waste is coming to Alberta, and Lethbridge is one of the communities involved.

Love Food Hate Waste (LFHW) Canada is a project led by the National Zero Waste Council, which has teamed with the Recycling Council of Alberta, City of Lethbridge and Strathcona County to bring the initiative into the province and the local region.

LFHW Canada organizes campaigns designed to inspire and educate Canadians on how to prevent food waste at home by focusing on three key behaviours:

• Plan it out – only buy what you need;
• Use it up – use the food items that you buy;
• Keep it fresh – store food items properly so they stay fresh longer.

Jack Froese, chair of the National Zero Waste Council said, “We’re pleased that these new Alberta partners have joined forces with us to reach more Canadians with our practical, informative and empowering message.”

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Froese added, “Our work is all about helping people get the most from the food they buy, not just for the sake of their wallets, but for the sake of the planet, too.”

Household food waste continues to be a major issue in Canada.

According to a City of Lethbridge release issued on June 28, 63 per cent of the food Canadian households throw away could have been eaten. For the average household, that is the equivalent of 4.5 meals per week, or 140 kilograms of wasted food per year, at a cost of $1,300.

For the entire country, that amounts to 2.3 million tonnes, or $21 billion worth of edible food waste each year. The City of Lethbridge release indicated that the estimated environmental impact of household food waste contributes 6.9 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year. The release stated that every tonne of household food waste that is avoided is the equivalent of taking one care off the road every year.

Christina Seidel, executive director of the Recycling Council of Alberta said, “This project fits well with our mandate to work with municipalities across Alberta to create opportunities to design out waste and conserve resources to transition to a circular economy.”

Over the course of the next year, LFHW Canada will work in collaboration with the Recycling Council of Alberta, the City of Lethbridge, and Strathcona County to reach Albertans via in-person events and outreach campaigns, social media engagement and advertising. Food-saving tips and strategies will be shared, including:

• Creative recipes for the most commonly wasted foods;
• Food storage guidance;
• Demystifying “best before” dates;
• Inspiration for using up seasonal and holiday leftovers;
• Canning and food preservation;
• Meal planning and batch cooking.

Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen said, “Environmental responsibility is one of the key areas of Council’s strategic focus.”

“This new partnership will help us to raise awareness of food wastage within our community, lessen the load at our landfill and contribute to the push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by our community,” Hyggen stated.

More information about LFHW Canada is available at the National Zero Waste Council website.