While most restaurants and food shops in Regina throw away their leftover food, some give it away to local charities.
COBS Bread, a bakery shop with a south and north location in Regina, donates fresh bread at the end of the day to charities and organizations in need.
Some of the organizations that accept these donations include Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, Sofia House, Regina Normanview Daycare and Rainbow Youth Centre.
Kayla Harrigan, sales manager at the grasslands location, said at the end of the day the staff fills up as many donation bins as they can and take home whatever bread is left.
“I like it because we’re not wasting anything. And I know that there are a lot of hungry people in Regina who may not be able to afford some of our bread. Being able to give it to charities is just a nice thing that I like to do,” she said.
Since 2008, food bank use in Saskatchewan has increased by 76.9 per cent, according to the HungerCount 2016 report. In March 2016, over 31,000 individuals in Saskatchewan were assisted by food banks, and 45.2 per cent of them were children.
Cara Steiner, director of Normanview Daycare in Regina, said COBS helps feed approximately 110 children breakfast and lunch every day. With an already tight budget, the donation helps the daycare save roughly $150 per week, which is then invested into programs, wages, and toys for the kids.
“I really appreciate that they’re willing to give back to the people around them,” said Cara.
“It would be really cool to see more companies in Regina giving back to different non-profit organizations. I think that there are a lot of people in Regina who could benefit from it,” she said.
On average, Canada wastes $31 billion worth of food each year according to a most recent report by Value Chain Management International. Research shows Canada is trailing behind other countries when it comes to addressing food waste. For example, in France, it is illegal for supermarkets to waste food.
In Canada, however, stringent food safety rules may encourage food waste.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada’s Guide to Food Safety is based on the Recommended International Code of Practice – General Principles of Food Hygiene, which protects the consumer from illness or injury caused by food consumption.
Vigorous cleaning procedures and methods must be followed during the production, handling and distribution of food. Food operations in Canada must adopt policies that comply with Canadian food legislation and, in most cases, that means throwing out leftovers.
But a few businesses like COBS have found ways to meet the rules and still donate food to places that need it. Harrigan even claims that profits have increased because of the support they receive from their food donations. She encourages businesses who are able to donate to invest in doing do so.
