Giving meaning to the act of cooking
“Data from Value Chain Management Center in Ontario dating from 2014 tell us that in the Canadian food system, 40% of the food is thrown away. It is while reflecting on this situation that the idea of La Transformerie came to us.
As a chef, I was convinced that if such a large amount of food is thrown away, it is because it is no longer edible. But, making the effort of looking into the garbage bins, we quickly realized that the products found are of excellent quality.
[…]
For the moment, we work with greengrocers and grocery stores from the Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie borough. We have already made contact with several merchants to collect unsold fruits and vegetables and they showed great enthusiasm for the project. With the products we collect, we will transform them into preserves that we will sell back to these merchants. This is called circular economy.
Our goal is to integrate the merchants in the process so that they are proud to be part of this project, and that the business owners as well as their employees become ambassadors for La Transformerie and for the fight against food waste.
[…] our strength lies in our bringing a positive solution to a problem. Our goal is to make change enjoyable. We don’t want people to feel guilty; we are here to offer solutions. Already, if we collect fruits and vegetables, a third of a merchant’s products thrown away are recuperated.
It reduces their cost for garbage collection and the unsold products recover some sort of economic value. In engaging in this process, it provides them with a platform for a positive communication strategy.
[…] We are currently trying to establish partnerships with organizations that have a truck or a kitchen facility we could use for a few days during the week. The goal is not to rely on new material, but to work with what is already available.”
Extract from Guillaume Cantin en guerre contre le gaspillage alimentaire by Véronique Leduc for Caribou magazine, published October 12, 2017.
Photo credits: La Transformerie
