An organization that gives an added value to unsold food

La Transformerie, a NPO, is laying the groundwork for the launch, before the end of May, of its first eco-friendly products, made with unsold food collected from grocery stores. Its mission: help merchants to better valorize their products with the aim of eliminating food waste, through a step-by-step approach.

“We believe it is truly unfair that so much food is going to waste, even though it is still in good condition and perfectly edible”, notes the organization’s coordinator, Marie Gaucher, in an interview with the newspaper Métro.

Born two years ago, the group was co-founded by chef Guillaume Cantin, known for his ‘responsible approach’ to cooking for the last 15 years here in Montreal.

At the end of April, La Transformerie will collect its first batch of unsold products in four supermarkets in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough, as well as a greengrocer in Jean-Talon market. The collected products will be used to create original recipes, in the kitchen.

“The idea is to offer solutions that will give value to products ignored by the store’s customers, adds Ms. Gaucher. In the last few months we’ve put substantial effort to try to better understand the Montreal food ecosystem, between merchants, consumers and community organizations. We kind of see ourselves as an intermediary who tries to bring awareness to the relevant stakeholders.” 

Extract from Dumpster diving : un « état d’esprit » pour enrayer le gaspillage alimentaire by Henri Ouellette-Vézina for the Métro newspaper, published March 18, 2019.

Photo credits: La Transformerie