As I already said, I thank the witnesses for their presentations.
My first question is for you, Mr. McLinton. Food waste and food loss are two problems that particularly affect Canada. Some countries have implemented rules that prevent food waste in specific circumstances. I believe that France has already prohibited waste by supermarkets.
However, I find it troubling that it is not natural for companies and individuals to behave like this. We know that food security is precarious and that we have food surpluses. Companies like Loblaws and Sobeys, which have a lot of reserves, definitely have a fairly high percentage in terms of food loss.
Do companies of that size avoid giving away extra reserves because, if that practice was established across the country, the cost of transportation and labour would be too high?
If so, how can we remedy the situation and what industries do you think will be the most affected in that case?