The Importance of Quantifying Food Waste in Canada
Open accessAbstract
Understanding food waste in Canada may offer previously unrecognized opportunities and strategies to address rising food-cost inflation, food insecurity, and negative ecological impacts and energy costs attributable to food production, distribution, and accessibility. It is significant for all agents along the food chain and policy makers to know how much food Canadians waste, as well as why and where. This paper examines food waste at both the consumer and retailer levels. We used data from reports published by Statistics Canada and the World Bank to calculate the amount of food waste from the food available for consumption from 1961 to 2009. The preliminary results of the research show that food waste increased over time in relation to the food available for consumption. The average food waste was estimated at 40 percent of food available for consumption over almost five decades. The conclusion can also be drawn that food waste is positively correlated with per capital GDP and per capita income. We present recommendations for quantifying food waste and understanding the combination of reasons and factors that drive up food waste.
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A study carried out in Canada analysing food waste data between 1961 and 2009 found that red meat accounted for 39.73% of the total waste and poultry waste was estimated to be around 40.74%.
“Furthermore, a study carried out in Canada analysing food waste data between 1961 and 2009 found that red meat accounted for 39.73% of the total waste and poultry waste was estimated to be around 40.74% [92].”
From Progress towards Sustainable Utilisation and Management of Food Wastes in the Global Economy (2016) · cites this paper as [92]
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- Authors
- Abdulla, M., Martin, R., Gooch, M., & Jovel, E.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- University of Guelph (CA)
- Venue
- Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
- Published
- 2013-04-01
- Pages
- 137-151
- ISSN
- 2152-0798 (ISSN-L)
- 2152-0801
- OpenAlex
- W2327857756
- Cited by
- 57
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 3.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economics of Agriculture and Food Markets
- Keywords
- food waste, food waste quantification, consumer food waste, retail food waste, GDP per capita, per capita income, food insecurity, Canada
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