LANGLEY – Phoenix Society is excited to announce a partnership with FoodMesh that will provide a regular and reliable supply of fresh food donations from Buy-Low Foods, that will be used to serve nutritious food to those living in recovery, poverty and homelessness.
Vancouver-based FoodMesh is dedicated to helping organizations reduce unnecessary food waste. Their Retail Food Recovery Program helps retailers reduce their waste and ensure that their unsalable food is put to its highest end-use – first to charities to be turned into meals, and then to farmers for animal feed. Its network is made up of more than 2,500 organizations from across the supply chain.
HOW IT WORKS: Each day, retailers sort the food they are no longer able to sell (which can be for a number of reasons, ranging from the product being close to its sell by date, to aesthetic imperfections). A charity collects the food, weighs it and shares it amongst its network of other charities. The retailer and charity have access to real-time metrics on the quantity of food being donated, where the donations are going and the impact these donations are having, measured by weight of food diverted, the equivalent number of meals, CO2 emissions saved and money saved. This collaboration provides retailers with crucial insight into the food they are no longer able to sell, and provides charities with a reliable supply of safe and nutritious food donations for their food security programs.
As part of the new partnership, Phoenix Society will pick up food donations twice a week from Buy-Low Foods Brookswood in Langley. The donations for each pickup come from all store departments: produce, dairy, bakery, grocery, meat/seafood and deli.
“We are thankful and grateful for FoodMesh and Buy-Low Foods for supporting our programs in this way,” said Keir Macdonald, CEO of Phoenix Society. “We work hard to deliver nutritious, balanced meals to our clients and this partnership with FoodMesh will help us continue to achieve that goal while simultaneously diverting food from the landfill. This partnership will also support our Mobile Community Kitchen that serves free meals out of our Phoenix Flame BBQ Food Truck to those who are living in poverty or experiencing homeless.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Phoenix Society, who are doing such important work to feed some of our most vulnerable communities, and putting perfectly good food that might have otherwise gone to waste, to good use,” said Jessica Regan, CEO and Co-Founder of FoodMesh. “We are also incredibly grateful to Buy-Low Foods for taking a stand to reduce their food waste and help ensure that organizations like the Phoenix Society and countless others have a regular supply of nutritious food to be able to continue their good work.”
QUICK FACTS FROM FOODMESH:
- 58% of food produced in Canada is never consumed
- 84% of that waste occurs along the supply chain
- 50% of that waste is avoidable
About The Phoenix Society: Since 1989, Phoenix Society has grown from an idea, to its first recovery programs and is now a multi-faceted, integrated service provider that offers a variety of programs and support services, helping residents and program participants achieve positive outcomes in their lives. A key purpose of the Surrey-based Society is to provide housing and support services for people at multiple entry points on the continuum. Learn more at phoenixsociety.com.
About FoodMesh: FoodMesh is a Vancouver-based Certified B Corporation, dedicated to reducing unnecessary food waste and feeding more. It provides digital solutions that unite all elements of the food supply chain to help organizations quickly and easily divert their surplus food to the people in our communities who need it most. Learn more at foodmesh.ca.
Phoenix Society Media Contact Amy Reid | [email protected] | 604.726.6107
FoodMesh Media Contact Megan Czerpak | [email protected]