Madam Speaker, allow me to begin by thanking all the MPs who have contributed to the debate on Motion No. 110 regarding the need to adopt a national strategy to reduce food waste and combat food insecurity.
Over 20% of the food produced in Canada is avoidably wasted, resulting in a direct economic impact of tens of billions of dollars on our families and communities. Avoidable waste drives up costs right across our domestic food supply chains. It has therefore been highly informative to hear the perspectives of all colleagues on Motion No. 110.
All these discussions have made one thing clear. Everyone agrees that far too much time, energy and resources are being invested in producing food that ultimately becomes avoidable waste. It is imperative that we recognize the economic, social and environmental costs of food waste. Avoidable food waste causes significant greenhouse gas emissions, while exposing an unacceptable number of Canadians to food insecurity.
All of the parties in this House have acknowledged these multi-faceted concerns in the comprehensive eighth and 10th agriculture committee reports published last year in 2023, and several provincial governments have begun implementing incentives to cut down on food waste.
While I recognize that disagreements may exist among us, it is clear that all members of this House understand that tackling food waste and food insecurity are important challenges that can and should be addressed. None of us should be against devising solutions to address this critical issue on a national scale or remain indifferent to food wasted at every step from the farm to the table.
Should this motion pass, the federal government will have an opportunity to learn from a multitude of stakeholders located across our country to develop a plan grounded in hard-earned experience. We need to hear from family farmers that remain the backbone of our agricultural sector and of countless communities right across our country, and we also need to hear from processors, brilliant researchers, retailers and community food organizations.
Ample evidence exists that developing a national strategy will assist in establishing a national food waste hierarchy, contribute to aligning federal, provincial and municipal regulations, and assist in identifying fiscal incentives to reduce food waste.
Our peer countries have already taken effective steps. After all, in 2015 the United Nations set sustainable development goals that included a commitment to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030. The United States, European Union, Australia, Japan and South Korea have implemented coordinated government-led strategies to successfully quantify and address the challenge of food waste. To cite one example, government initiatives in South Korea have increased their national food waste recycling from 2.6% in 1996 to 95% in 2022.
While food waste reduction efforts in Canada remain a priority, NGOs such as Food Banks Canada have emphasized the potential of redirecting wholesome but wasted food to community food organizations to help our most vulnerable.
Financial incentives can also make a world of difference for local producers and processors. Pathways exist to recycle food waste into economically valuable assets. These pathways involve converting waste into animal feed, compost for fertilization and biofuels.
However, despite the benefits of such initiatives, a lack of access, scale or information has frustrated our ability to seize these opportunities. Researchers and activists have persistently warned us that the scale of Canada's food waste crisis has persisted and indeed worsened due to misleading information, confusing guidelines, outdated regulations, a lack of meaningful financial incentives and an absence of coordination between the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government.
Left to their own devices, individual actors across the continuum of our food supply chains will continue practices that generate food waste, and shift the associated costs onto our businesses, Canadian households and the environment. A variety of private practices regarding best-before dates, food labelling and vendor supply agreements also frequently lead to the destruction of unsold but wholesome food.
Let me close by—