Alberta beef producers launch new effort to reduce food waste

Some committed Calgarians are taking a new sustainability campaign across the country this spring.

They’re out to reduce waste and keep food out of the landfill.

Members of the Calgary-based Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) have come out with a documentary called Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate.

It’s aimed at cutting down Canada’s food waste by feeding cattle with produce destined for the landfill.

“To try and get the beef industry onto a sustainable path,” the CCA’s Bob Lowe said. “Utilize food that can’t be used for human food – squishing it, mixing it up, putting it in a pile and giving it to the cattle”.

CCA members are taking their message to screening sessions across Canada, hoping to encourage others to work on reducing food waste.

“To create, hopefully, a zero-waste agriculture industry in Canada,” the CCA’s Amie Peck said.

Lowe, a rancher and feedlot operator near Nanton, Alta., is featured in Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate, shown feeding his cattle “upcycled” produce.

“I never would have thought that I would see a cow eating dragon fruit,” Lowe says in the documentary. “But I’ve seen it.”

CCA members are hoping their sustainability campaign gains attention beyond the cattle community.

“We’re coming up on Stop Food Waste Day, which is April 24,” Peck said.

“So we’re hoping to use the excitement around it to talk about food waste, really looking at how much food do we really need, so that we’re not overproducing and then having to throw things out.”

&© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.