$31 billion dollars. That's how much food grocery stores in Canada including Walmart throw into the garbage each year, while many households struggle to put basic food on the table.
But we have a solution: pressure supermarkets to do the right thing.
Already, Whole Foods and Kroger, the largest grocery chain in the U.S., have started donating food waste to charity -- and we want to make sure that Walmart follows suit.
Grocery stores in Canada waste enough food to make 300 million meals each year. Most of it ends up in landfills across the country -- which has disastrous effects on the environment. Landfills are one of the biggest producers of methane gas, which in the long term is 80 times more climate-polluting than carbon dioxide.
Donating food to charity is a solution that works for communities and the planet. Already, U.S. mega-chain Trader Joe's donates its soon-to-be-expired food back to local communities, and some Starbucks locations in Canada have agreements to do the same.
What's more, municipal governments from North Vancouver to Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary have passed or are considering passing motions to support donations of waste food like this.
Walmart is a massive global brand with over 400 stores in Canada and 11,545 stores worldwide. And it cares what the public thinks.
Already, Walmart's President for Food Safety has been forced to respond to public pressure on the company to stop wasting food. That means we're close to victory -- and can be the tipping point to force it to act.
SumOfUs has been instrumental at pushing global retailers to stop wasting food. Already we're pushed major international grocery chains including Asda to Carrefour to donate their produce. Right now, our community is pushing the UN and G20 to enact a groundbreaking law that requires all food that reaches its "sell-by" date be donated to charity. Let's get Walmart to donate its food waste now.
More information
The Huffington Post. 7 July 2016.
Alternet. 8 July 2016.
The Guardian. 13 July 2016.