BACKGROUND
Food is more than just a basic necessity—it provides nourishment, comfort, and healing, and often serves as a vital connection to cultural identity while acting as a centrepiece around which relationships and communities are built. You are what you eat—nutritious foods and meals are essential for thriving, yet the growing crisis of food waste seems to tell a different story. In developed nations like Canada, countless meals and food products are discarded daily, exacerbating food insecurity and accelerating the destruction of the planet, our only home.
The social and environmental implications of food waste are profound, encompassing global hunger and food insecurity; the loss of resources used in producing food that ultimately goes to waste; financial waste from unsold goods; cultural and ethical concerns such as diminished respect for and perceived value of food; contributions to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions from food production to landfill disposal; biodiversity loss due to agricultural expansion; and pollution and waste management strains caused by increased waste generation. These issues extend far beyond the immediate loss of edible items.
However, food waste can also be viewed as an opportunity to promote sustainability, feed communities, and improve community wellbeing. Guided by the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Meals That Matter rescues surplus foods and meals and transforms waste into nourishment and resilience, creating opportunities for a healthier planet and stronger, more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable communities—one bite at a time—for the benefit of both people and the planet.
The purpose? Because every meal matters, and every bite saved from going to waste helps build a better tomorrow.
Nature does not waste, and neither should we.
