EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

It’s probably not earthshaking news to say that we live in a world full of waste.  With food alone, the stats are out there concluding that what we throw away in developed countries could feed the entire world…and more. Look around you at everything we toss. Daily. Sometimes we simply don’t notice, because it is such a part of our culture. I stand as guilty as anyone.

I see food waste ad-nauseum in my chosen field, the agriculture sector. On the farming side, a fraction can be carved out of every process — seed storing, planting, growing, cultivating, weeding, harvesting, and again, storing and handling. On the wholesaling side, waste in transport, processing and packaging. On the end-user side, additional waste in cooking, consuming, and improper storage. Some of the above is from spoilage, but it’s far from the only culprit.  It’s part consumer convenience, part factory efficiency, part over-production, part laziness.

The following is Exhibit A: Our 5 acre berry and fruit farm borders a well-known bakery called Portofino. They produce a couple of dozen different breads and rolls, with scores of outlets in the Victoria area. As I work the rows of strawberries, I see the general garbage related to any industry, including a bakery. A dozen delivery trucks come and go. Almost every afternoon, I witness the drivers returning from their runs, backing up to a full shipping container, opening the door, and dumping trays of bread. Finally I asked one of the workers what was going on. What happens to the bread?  “We throw it away,” was the reply. “Sometimes pig farmers drop by and get some.” “Take all you want.  It’s less work for me.”

We are not talking about old, stale, and moldy loaves. I looked at the bread, and most of it did not ‘expire’ for two or three days. And we’re talking about dozens and dozens of loaves – delicious loaves.  Bread that costs $6 each in almost every grocery outlet.  It’s almost the only bread that my daughter will eat.

Some of you may recall that I volunteer at a local soup kitchen. As well, our church has a weekly food market that includes a mound of bread.  I occasionally see Portofino, but this seems to be at the whim of the retail store to re-distribute it as ‘day-old’. For some, it’s simply too inconvenient. A new batch of bread is arriving, so get rid of the old. The Portofino drivers have to do something with it. Therefore, into the container it goes, along with hundreds of other loaves from yesterday, and the day before, and the day before….

My commitment now is to collect loaves of this fresh bread and re-distribute it — church, friends, colleagues, etc. I even offer it to pickers coming to the farm. It seems to be appreciated, almost as much as the strawberries!  It’s a small step, but is my humble way, maybe it will help eliminate some of the waste that we all witness in our Western culture. And it gives me more awareness to my wastefulness in other areas of my life.  Even at this guy’s ripe old age, maybe there is hope.

Thanks for reading.

Monty