It is at this time of year, Charles Dickens famously noted in A Christmas Carol, that want is most keenly felt. It’s why images of thousands of edible Mandarin oranges left to rot at the North Vancouver transfer station prompt such visceral reactions.
How, in this time of record food bank use and escalating prices, can society allow such a mountain of waste?
We cannot claim to be experts in the logistics of produce distribution, food inspection, or the capacity for non-profits to redistribute perishables. But we do know about $6 billion worth of food goes to waste each year in B.C. alone, according to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
If you’re upset about the thousands of oranges being left to rot, we urge you to channel that anger into something positive.
When it comes to keeping tummies full with nutritious food at the best possible value, the folks at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and the Harvest Project are the experts. Much of what they provide is donated by the food industry and non-profits that work to divert perfectly nutritious food from the compost pile before it’s too late.
They make it exceedingly easy to donate online. Because of their non-profit acumen, they can stretch those dollars well beyond the average consumer, and they know how to get food to the people who need it most.
To throw away edible food is a tragedy. To let this story pass without taking some action, now that would truly be a waste.
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