Circular Food Systems

Canada’s agri-food industry—which includes all the enterprises that produce, sell, and deliver food—is one of Canada’s most important economic sectors. At the same time, the value of food lost or wasted every year in Canada is estimated to be worth $49 billion. Circular economy principles applied to Canada’s agri-food system can help to address the food loss and waste issue while generating multiple co-benefits, including enhancing food security and the resiliency of supply chains; creating new economic, investment, and employment opportunities; reducing pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; improving nutrient cycling and restored biodiversity; and providing greater equity and related social benefits.

While various circular food related efforts and initiatives are underway across Canada, existing efforts are fragmented, often by sector as well as geography. The Circular Food Systems work stream will engage a broad set of stakeholders across the entire value chain and agri-food ecosystem in Canada, resulting in an accelerated transition to a circular food system through coordinated and collective action.

The Circular Food Systems work stream will go beyond the focus on food waste to encompass the entire agri-food ecosystem in Canada, linking existing efforts together and going deeper on emerging topics and that require further research and investigation. It will also be designed to identify circular food economy opportunities within Canada that are place-based, allowing communities large and small, urban and rural, and from coast to coast to coast, to connect in alignment with their food and place-based identities.

Previous Event Recordings

• Scaling Circular Food Systems in Canada Stakeholder Workshop (April 2022)
• Driving Economic and Social Innovation with the Circular Food Economy – WCEF2021 Accelerator Session (September 2021)

Publications, Blogs & Articles

• Scaling Circular Food Systems in Canada – Workshop Summary Report, 2022 (Authors: CELC, NZWC, Save-On-Foods, Our Food Future, Vancouver Economic Commission)
• Scaling Circular Food Systems in Canada – Discussion Paper, 2022 (Authors: CELC & The Delphi Group)
• Circular Food Solutions in Canada: A Coast to Coast Landscape Scan – Research Report, 2022 (Authors: NZWC, Our Food Future & Smart Prosperity Institute)
• Circular Economy Global Sector Best Practices Series: Agri-food Sector Chapter – Research Report, 2020 (Author: Smart Prosperity Institute)
• How Precision Agriculture can Revolutionize Canada’s Agri-food Sector – Blog Post, 2019 (Author: Paul Shorthouse, CELC / The Delphi Group)

Partners & Sponsors

• National Zero Waste Council
• Next Generation Manufacturing Canada
• Our Food Future (Guelph-Wellington)
• Save-On-Foods
• Smart Prosperity Institute
• Vancouver Economic Commission