Saskatoon group slams food waste

Engineers Without Borders covered a table at the University of Saskatchewan Tuesday with food reclaimed from dumpsters to make its point that too much food is being trashed. The group says one-third of all food around the world is wasted.

"Food waste is a huge issue," said Co-president Angela Howell. " It contributes to rising food prices around the world, it contributes to environmental costs, it can create a lot of social inequities."

While Howell says around half of food waste is generated in the home, a large percentage of waste is generated in grocery stores and restaurants. She says the system should be made more efficient to avoid wastage.

"Say you're buying carrots," said Howell. "You get these beautiful long carrots that are all the same length. All of the ugly carrots may get thrown away."

The group hopes the very visual display helps spread the word.

"It's a very easy thing to visualize, and we thought it would make the biggest impact" said group member Alyssa Kimber.

Chapters of Engineers Without Borders across the country are focusing on food issues this year, planning events on issues like food deserts, growing local food and inefficiency in the food growing and distribution system.