Food in Canada: Bel joins forces with Congebec, Food Banks of Quebec to reduce food waste

Bel Canada, Congebec, multi-temperature logistics provider of value-added distribution services for the food, retail and packaged goods industries, and Food Banks of Quebec (FBQ) partner to reduce food waste and redistribute products to the FBQ network.

“At Bel Group, our mission is to provide healthy and responsible food for everyone. We are proud of the tangible measures we have implemented to achieve our goal of zero product destruction in our Canadian operations, particularly at our Babybel manufacturing plant in Sorel-Tracy,” said Marie-Eve Robert, VP marketing and CSR at Bel Canada. “More than 46 per cent of food is wasted every year in Canada. This program, in collaboration with Congebec and Food Banks of Quebec, will play a key role in the fight against food waste and insecurity while optimizing the performance of our supply chain. As a sector leader, we hope our commitment will encourage other companies to join this great collaboration.”

Initially set up by Congebec, this initiative aims to recover unsellable food from the supply chain. This initiative is rolled out in three stages: offering free storage space to Food Banks of Quebec, encouraging the participation of its customers and providing support in the supply chain to maximize food sharing. For example, when products are damaged but still edible, they are transferred to the storage spaces that Congebec makes available to Quebec food banks.

“Our expertise in logistics and freezing is unique in the food supply chain, and that is why we are committed to supporting the food aid network to preserve food and enable its optimal distribution,” explained Nicholas-P. Pedneault, CEO of Congebec. “Since the official announcement of our partnership with Food Banks of Quebec in 2023, the impact on our communities in terms of food aid and through our crucial role in preventing food waste has been strongly felt. The freezing services we offer give food banks access to high-value products like Bel Canada’s. Through this new partnership, we want to demonstrate that, as a corporate citizen, we have an important role to play in the fight against food waste and food insecurity.”

According to FBQ, there has been a 13 per cent increase in requests for food aid, which have been fulfilled each month since 2023, and one million more requests since 2021. In total, 35 per cent of the beneficiaries are children, 36 per cent are adults living alone, and 20 per cent have a job as their primary source of income.

“We strongly believe that collaboration is the key to fighting food insecurity, which is why this innovative partnership with Bel Canada and Congebec is so valuable. We hope this initiative will encourage other companies and industry leaders to join us,” added Martin Munger, Executive Director at Food Banks of Quebec.