Farmers and homesteaders are keeping food 'in the loop,' cutting down on waste

From The Ground Up is a CBCseries in collaboration withFood Producers Forum,looking at how small-scale growers aredigging and dreaming agricultural innovations in Newfoundland and Labrador.

When homesteader Kyle LeDrewheads into Carbonear, he's often thinking about meals for more than just himself.

"My cow actually steer Steve really enjoys the bakery things. So he goes a little bit out of himself for the bakery items, the leftover croissants and loaves of bread and all of that," LeDrew told CBC News in a recent interview.

"We were told the bakery items go over well with the dairy animals and whatnot, but I really hadn't expected it quite like that. He knows when you're off-loading the truck."

LeDrew is sorting through a truck full of technically expired foodfruits, veggies, breads and other goods that are unfit to sell but perfect for feeding his animals.He's able to access the food through Loop Resource, a program thatconnects grocery stores with small-scale farmers and homesteaders who'd like to feed their animals for free while diverting food waste.

The program came to Newfoundland and Labrador in October, partnering with the Dominion grocery store in Carbonearto help divert food waste into the hands of farmers.

LeDrewsays he's saved hundreds in feed costssince joining the program, money he says can be used to make farming more accessible and improve food security in the area.

"Programs like this and small farms are really going to do a lot to help, you know, communities in general," he said. "Keeping in mind, you know, how our food security has been affected by things like COVID even lately. Small farms change the dynamic of the food scene."

'We could live in a world without waste'

Jaime White, the Loop Resource's projects director, said the program is "a simple idea to a dumb problem."

"We throw food in the garbage in North America, and that's really not the place that food should end up," White said. "And so as a group of farmers, Loop was born looking for a better thing to do with it, really."

Afterworking out some of the legal details ofgrocery stores giving farmers and homesteaders expired food, the program is now operating in about 260 grocery stores across the country.

• Read more from the From The Ground Up series here

According to a statement from Loblaws, which operates Dominion and Wholesale Club grocery stores in Newfoundland and Labrador, all 11 Newfoundland locations will be part of the program by the end of the year.

White said the group is also seeking out more farmers and homesteaders to work with in the province, hoping to promote food security while cutting down on waste.

"We could live in a world without garbage. We could live in a world without waste," he said.

"If we just put a little energy into thinking through where these things could go, what could be done with it? Embedded in every problem is the seed of its solution."

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