By the end of the month, more than 250 Starbucks in Ontario will be donating their unsold food to hungry Canadians, with plans to expand their program nationally by 2021.
In an announcement made by the coffee company today, Starbucks’ FoodShare program will work with Canada’s Second Harvest to help distribute their unsold food.
Previously, Starbucks Canada had donated all of their leftover pastries and baked goods. But now, the company will also chill and safely distribute their perishable foods, like breakfast sandwiches, paninis, protein boxes, salads, yogurt, milk and dairy alternatives to Ontario communities.
“Wasted food is a wide-scale problem for everyone in the food business, while more than 4 million Canadians are impacted by hunger,” said Starbucks Canada vice president, Luisa Girotto in a release. “This is unacceptable, and we will help solve this now that we have a way to safely donate chilled, perishable food, while preserving its quality.”
Besides working to reduce hunger, Starbucks says their FoodShare program will have a positive impact on the environment, as it redirects unsold food away from landfills. Currently, almost 60% of all food produced in Canada is wasted.
We're thrilled to announce our partnership with @StarbucksCanada to rescue 100% of food available to donate from their stores in the GTA.
We never want to see great food being thrown away & #StarbucksFoodShare program will ensure any unsold, excess will be rescued. #foodrescue pic.twitter.com/P0JHlihL5l
— Second Harvest (@SecondHarvestCA) February 4, 2019
“We’re thrilled to partner with Starbucks to support food recovery in local neighbourhoods to ensure people have the food they need to be healthy while also making a positive impact on the environment,” said Second Harvest CEO, Lori Nikkel in a statement.
“We all have a part to play in reducing the social and environmental costs of food waste and it’s great to see Starbucks taking a leadership role.”
