Ag Policy Connection: Tackling Food Waste Through a Systems Approach, with Lori Nikkel

Why It Matters

A coordinated national food‑waste strategy would transform a $58 billion loss into economic, environmental, and social gains, compelling industry and government to act on a critical, systemic inefficiency.

Key Takeaways

• Canada wastes nearly half of produced food annually.
• A national food‑waste strategy must prioritize measurement and prevention.
• Second Harvest shifted focus from charity to systemic environmental issue.
• Lack of harmonized regulations hampers waste reduction across provinces.
• Small line‑level tweaks can save millions and cut avoidable waste.

Summary

The Egg Policy Connection podcast features Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest, outlining her "big idea": a national food‑waste strategy to curb the systemic inefficiencies that cause Canada to discard almost half of the food it produces. Nikkel traces the evolution of Second Harvest from a modest food‑rescue charity to a data‑driven organization focused on preventing waste rather than merely diverting it.

Key data points underscore the urgency: waste dropped from 58% in 2019 to 46.5% in 2025, yet roughly 46% of food remains lost, equating to $58 billion in avoidable waste. Nikkel emphasizes that 23% of this waste stems from best‑before dates, and that effective strategies must begin with consistent measurement—an ISO‑aligned food‑waste management system slated for global rollout. She argues that prevention, not just diversion, offers the greatest economic and environmental returns.

Illustrative anecdotes highlight the shift in mindset. Nikkel recounts her personal journey from low‑income single parent to food‑system leader, and cites a Campbell Soup line‑change that saved $250,000 annually by redirecting mis‑sorted tomatoes. She also points out regulatory fragmentation, noting how compost guidelines differ between Mississauga and Toronto, hampering coordinated action.

The broader implication is clear: Canada needs a unified, federally backed food‑waste policy that aligns measurement standards, incentivizes prevention at the line level, and harmonizes provincial regulations. Such a framework could unlock significant cost savings, reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions, and improve food security, positioning Canada as a global leader in sustainable food systems.

Original Description

A staggering share of Canada’s food never gets eaten—and Lori Nikkel says that’s a systems problem, not by accident.

In this episode of the Ag Policy Connection podcast, Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest, outlines why a national food waste strategy is critical to strengthening Canada’s food system. Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization, has helped quantify the issue: while progress has been made, 46.5 per cent of food produced for Canadians is still lost or wasted.

“Food waste is not incidental, it is a systemic inefficiency that we have built across the entire distribution supply chain model,” Nikkel says.

Nikkel says that Canada has lagged behind other G7 countries in developing a coordinated approach. A key starting point, she says, is measurement: “Measure it, set a target and then monitor it.” Without consistent data and accountability, efforts remain fragmented across jurisdictions and supply chain segments.

One major opportunity lies in prevention, not just diversion. While redistribution efforts—like Second Harvest’s food rescue app—are scaling quickly, Nikkel points to avoidable waste drivers such as confusion around best-before dates, which account for roughly 23 per cent of avoidable food waste. “Best before date is about product quality. It’s got nothing to do with safety,” she says, noting that consumer misunderstanding leads to unnecessary disposal.

For Nikkel, the issue spans environmental, economic, and social outcomes, but policy must focus on system efficiency. “You can’t not include a food waste strategy to have a food security strategy,” she says.

Her bottom line: start somewhere. “There’s no such thing as a perfect anything… a start is good enough.”

Website: https://www.realagriculture.com/

#foodsecurity #foodwaste #agriculture

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