A regional food-saving initiative that aims to supply homeless and low-income people with fresh, nutritious meals has come to Richmond.
New Westminster resident Danison Buan has brought his social enterprise, dubbed Refood, to Richmond, by tapping into a large stream of organic “waste” from grocers that would best be served up as meals to those in need.
The idea started as a means to eat into the 172 kg of food each Canadian wastes annually — totalling $31 billion.
“In the restaurant industry, I saw we were throwing out a lot of food. I then wandered over, one time, to a grocery store and asked them how much they were throwing out. That same day, I was walking around the neighbourhood and I found someone asking for food. So, I didn’t understand how this equation really worked.”
In 2015, Buan successfully pitched his Refood idea to a local entrepreneurship initiative called ONE Prize and received a small grant.
He then reached out to grocers who agreed to supply Refood volunteers with boxes of fresh, but unsellable, perishable food that is then delivered to local charities.
One of Richmond’s biggest grocers, PriceSmart Foods, is now supplying homeless and low-income residents with food from the produce, meat, deli and dairy departments.
“Instead of putting it into organic waste, which gets recycled, this is actually putting it to better use,” said PriceSmart general manager Jacky Ho.
Foods include the likes of bruised but perfectly edible fruits and vegetables; packages of fresh cheese that weren’t packaged perfectly; and yogurt packs with a missing cup.
“To see some of that stuff; we really don’t want to see it go to waste. But people don’t want to buy it and we don’t want to reduce our prices. We want to maintain that quality at store level,” explained Ho.
The grocer also saves on the costs associated with organic recycling.
So, in steps Buan with a growing army of volunteers to pick up the items and drive them to a local charity or school where meals are prepared.
“Fruits, vegetables and meat are definitely going to help that person’s diet,” said Buan.
Refood is also working with grocer UNFI on Vulcan Way.
At PriceSmart, Refood volunteers collect enough food to make 900-1,200 meals for the Salvation Army in Richmond.
One of the volunteers is Jamie Chan, 20, a third-year food and nutrition student at University of B.C.
Chan, a born-and-raised Richmondite, said she is surprised daily to see some of the food that is being repurposed. She said the food may be “ugly” to a typical customer but it is perfectly healthy and consumable.
She said Refood is also a good way to “get out of my comfort zone.”
“I love seeing the impact we have on people; seeing their faces light up. I delivered to a woman’s shelter and all the kids light up cheering like I’m Santa. It’s so rewarding and we are also doing good for the environment.”
Baun said Refood is currently providing 2,500 meals per day in the Lower Mainland. The goal is to reach 10,000.
For more information see Refood.ca.
