BATTLEFORDS - Every day, hundreds of farmers descend on grocery stores across Canada to save thousands of pounds of expired groceries from ending up in garbage dumps and landfills, taking what can't be sold and using it to feed their livestock and enrich their garden soil.
Instead of being wasted, farms are able to use wilted lettuce, expired deli meats, sagging watermelons, close-to-expiring dairy, stale bread, coffee grounds and any other discarded product not fit for human consumption to save the earth and ease the burden of rising feed costs for livestock.
The program is based on a simple idea,
“Food should be put to its highest and best use ... we handle 100 per cent of the in-store, organic waste.” according to Loop Resource's website, the organization that jump-started the program.
Loop Resources was started by a family in Dawson’s Creek and has expanded to over 60 stores in Western Canada alone, and worked with over 2,500 farms in 2022 to help complete the loop and end food waste.
“What was once a waste product, with negative connotations and environmental impact, is now a net positive for business, the community, local food production, and the environment,” reads the Loop Resources website.
This program brings agriculture full circle, supplementing animals' diets, allowing grocery stores to connect with their local farmers, and helping to heal the earth in a sustainable, innovative way that envisions a brighter future ahead.
One farm south of Battleford has been working with local grocery stores and Loop Resources for over four and a half years and, in that span of time, has seen produce they never imagined they'd get, expanding their horizon for what can be considered animal food.
In 2018, Brianne Hager and her family started picking up regularly from Kensington’s Save on Food in Saskatoon, and recently, they also began picking up from The Discovery Co-op in North Battleford.
“This program (Loop Resources) has given our animals access to a supplement of fresh fruits and vegetables that they otherwise would never get, and at the same time, it’s lessening our feed expenses, and it’s saving the earth. It’s a win-win situation.”
Hager feels that it has changed her animals' lives for the better.
“Our dogs are healthier, the cows have gotten to eat fruits and vegetables almost unimaginable, including star fruits, kumquats, turmeric roots and ginger ... every cow is different, and they have their own favourites; one likes berries and one like apples."
How many cows in Saskatchewan are lucky enough to eat pumpkins?
Loop Resources empowers an ecosystem that supports agriculture, helps save grocery stores money and reduce waste, and helps animals thrive. At the end of the day, it’s simply old-school recycling done on a massive scale, and it’s only getting bigger as more farms and grocery stores join the program.
Because of Loop, Hager has been able to feed her dogs a 100 per cent raw meat diet and has been able to feed her cows potatoes, apples and bananas almost every day of the year.
Did you know cows love strawberries? One year, they got a Christmas tree and fed it to their goats. Once, they got hundreds of pounds of prime rib roasts, and the dogs ate like kings.
“We're very lucky to be a part of this program, and our animals benefit greatly. It all just seems to work together. We're very fortunate,” Hager said.
Over the course of her time doing loop 'pickups' from local stores, she's gotten everything from yogurt to coffee grounds, and she's been able to use everything to feed her animals or for composting.
And it often comes packed in banana boxes.
"It's an amazing feeling to help the stores divert food waste, help our own animals in the process, and make the world a little greener," Hager said.
If you’re curious about working with Loop Resources as a farm, a grocery store, or a charity, and want to learn more, visit their website at loopresources.ca
