University of Guelph pilot seeks to curb food waste

The University of Guelph is launching a pilot program next year aimed at helping families reduce food waste.

As part of the Food Waste Reduction Toolkit, 30 local families with children will participate in cooking sessions and will receive meal planning worksheets, shopping lists and information on food storage.

According to a press release, the families will receive text messages to "reinforce food waste reduction messages."

The Food Waste Reduction Toolkit was among four projects recognized in the Danone Institute North America’s “One Planet One Health” initiative, receiving a US$200,000 grant. Teams were challenged to design, implement and evaluate actionable community-based projects for sustainable food systems.

University of Guelph professors Jess Haines, Mike von Massow and Kate Parizeau developed the toolkit, which is set to launch in March.