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Maan Alhmidi | Nov. 16, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n One third of Canadians believe that the main cause of household food loss and waste is \u201cbuying too much food,\u201d according to a new study released by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity.<\/span><\/p>\n The report showed that 69 per cent of participants considered themselves responsible for reducing food waste, while 39 per cent of them agree that they are \u201cpersonally concerned about the amount of food loss and waste.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy son often takes a bite of his sandwich before throwing it in the garbage,\u201d said Georgeena Absi, an Ottawa mother of three. \u201cWe are responsible, for sure. I spend a lot of money on groceries, yet we still order fast food because there is no time to cook.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″]<\/p>\n According to the National Zero Waste Council, consumers account for nearly half of all food waste in Canada, processors account for 20 per cent, retail stores for 10 per cent, farms for 10 per cent and restaurants and hotels account for only 9 per cent.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI fill out my shopping cart every time I shop not because I need the food but because it looks good and fresh,\u201d Mary Ato laughed. \u201cWhen you cook for a big family, you never know the right amount to cook. That\u2019s why my leftovers end up in the garbage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Half-eaten sandwiches and leftover spaghetti bolognese don\u2019t always turn into food for animals; wasted food means higher garbage costs and growing greenhouse emissions. They can have significant environmental, economic and social consequences too. <\/span><\/p>\n All that waste costs the Canadian economy up to $100 billion annually.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The research from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity shows that half of Canadians are looking to government to cut food waste. \u201cThere is definitely an appetite for government to play a role,\u201d said Ashley Bruner, research manager at the centre, in an email.<\/span><\/p>\n More than anything, she said, people are looking for tips to help reduce food waste and to learn how cutting waste can save them money.<\/span><\/p>\n The 2018 web-based survey was completed from July 13-19 by 1,509 respondents who reflect the general Canadian consumer population aged 18 or older. T<\/span>his is the first year the centre has conducted the survey. <\/span>\u201cIn the future, we plan to continue to track these questions in order to measure progress and change.\u201d Bruner said.<\/span><\/p>\n