Did you know that Canadians produce more garbage than any other country in the world? Around 760kg per person per year, in fact. Our garbage bins and blue boxes get taken away every 8 days, but there’s no such place as “away”. It all goes somewhere.

According to a 2018 City of London report, food makes up 45% of the waste in London's landfills. Most of this food could have been eaten, redistributed, or composted instead of being thrown out, especially since London’s landfill is expected to reach capacity by 2024. 

At the same time, in the society we live in it's practically impossible for us not to produce waste. Food is sold with excessive packaging and in super-sized portions. Grocery stores prize uniformity over quality, don't source locally, and won't sell what they consider ugly food. 

How we try to minimize food waste

Our new building at 206 Piccadilly Street features London's first package-free grocery store: no single-use packaging, just plant-based food that’s local, organic, fresh and affordable. 

Here are some of the ways that we reduce food waste:

• You can buy as little as you need, or save by buying in bulk
• We source food as locally as possibly
• We sell food that is ugly (but still delicious)
• We donate leftover food to people experiencing homelessness and hunger, through our partnerships with London Vegan Food Bank and Ark Aid Mission
• Any food waste that is not suitable for human consumption is donated to Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary or to Urban Roots London for composting and recycling into nutritious organic produce

Our Impact

By supporting us, you will help support the many local businesses we will be partnering up with, reduce environmental pollution, and reduce food waste by being able to buy only what you need (even if that means buying only one tablespoon of an ingredient)! We also work with our manufacturers and suppliers to reduce waste up the supply chain, encouraging our partners to switch to more sustainable packaging practises and setting up container reuse systems when we can.