How Spud is leader in diminishing food waste in Canada.

November 6, 2015

Waste in Displays:

Ever wondered how a grocery store keeps its shelves fully stocked with perfect, ripe fruit and rows of near to best before date dairy seven days a week, 365 days a year? Yes, their displays are beautiful, but this bounty comes at a cost: immense waste. In Canada we waste over $31 billion of food annually and a major contributor is grocery stores. An estimated 40% of food produced in North America is wasted- neglected because of imperfections, tossed because they are too close to their best before date or thrown into landfills after rotting.

Spud does not have displays. We do not need to keep our shelves stocked with excess items for aesthetics and as a result we have the lowest food waste of any grocery store in Canada, by far. Absence of displays allows us to limit purchasing directly to our output. We turn over 80% of our inventory in 48 hours, and all inventory in less than 12.5 days. There is not enough time for products to go past their best before date. In contrast to Spud, retail grocery stores turn over inventory in 27 days.

Waste at Home:

Although the expectation of a plentiful and abundant grocery store facilitates incredible food waste, this is not the only source of waste. Fifty percent of the 31 million pounds a year Canadians waste is attributed to household squandering. An incredible amount of food rots in our fridges and spoils in our pantries before we can eat them. Shoppers are impulsive, unprepared and often hungry- resulting in unwanted purchases at the grocery store.

Spud is an online food delivery service, so our shoppers are able to really think about their items before they purchase. Shoppers can add and remove items up until the day before their food is to be delivered. Spud customers do not over buy items as frequently, nor do they indulge in outrageous impulse buys, because they have the ability to review their order.

As more statistics of food waste are created, we see that consumers actually end up over buying and over spending at low cost bulk grocery stores. They buy insane amounts of perishable items at a percieved discounted price, only to throw half of it away soon after. Because Spud values each product, we don’t sell items in excessive bulk, but rather quantities that will satisfy, not overstock.

Give your extra food to those in need:

This fall, Spud is encouraging you to donate extra non-perishable food items that take up too much space in your pantry. Put extra cans, jars and any non-perishable goods in your Spud bin and we will match your donation. We want to support those who lack access to food, as well as make sure we are cutting down in food waste in the home.

Spud is trying to make a conscious shift to decrease food waste in our country. We want to food to feed mouths, not rot in landfills and to see our land prosper, not perish.