Photo: The Guardian
North America’s first pay-what-you-can grocer is located in Toronto and aims to keep overstocked but perfectly good food from going to a landfill.
I love stories about efforts to get surplus fresh food into the hands of people who might be going hungry otherwise. And keeping food out of landfills at the same time means killing two birds with one stone. But true confession: I am wasteful. I use the yummy inner parts of celery and lettuce first, and when I get around to the outer parts, they don’t look worth saving. Do I put on my thinking cap and make these leftovers into soup or something? I do not. Sometimes I compost them. I’d be interested in your ideas.
In Canada, a grocery store may have the best solution yet for food that is still good to eat but overstocked.
As Ashifa Kassam writes at the Guardian, “In a bright, airy Toronto market, the shelves are laden with everything from organic produce to pre-made meals and pet food. What shoppers won’t find, however, is price tags. In what is believed to be a North American first, everything in this grocery store is pay-what-you-can.
“The new store aims to tackle food insecurity and wastage by pitting the two issues against each other, said Jagger Gordon, the Toronto chef who launched the venture earlier this month.
“Every provision is donated by a network of partners across the region, and many of them – from blemished or misshapen produce to staples that are nearing their expiry date – would have otherwise ended up in landfills. …
“The store, which also includes a pay-what-you-can bakery and cafe, is the latest initiative to emerge from his non-profit firm, Feed It Forward. The roots of the organisation trace back to 2014, borne out of Gordon’s frustration at the C$31bn (£17.6bn) worth of food that ends up in Canadian landfills and compost sites each year while one in eight Toronto households struggles to put food on the table. …
“Prices are entirely up to the customer. ‘If you can afford to pay more, go right ahead,’ said Gordon. ‘If you can’t pay for what you have, then don’t.
“ ‘What I have noticed is people look into the baskets, try to calculate what it is and then say, “is this acceptable?” And I just say, “are you kidding me? Whatever you can give is fine, but if you are unable to make a donation, we won’t let anyone go hungry.” ‘ …
“Any profits are poured back into the store, covering costs such as rent and the transport of provisions. More than 600 volunteers help to staff the store and Gordon supplements its income with fundraising events, donations and revenue from his catering business. …
“As the store nears its closing time, Gordon surveys its largely empty shelves. ‘I’m a little disappointed that I have food left. … We’re going to the streets and hand it all out. We won’t stop until our food is gone.’ …
“Many have welcomed the initiative, but others question the sustainability of its business model. Gordon is quick to brush aside such concerns, pointing to pay-what-you-can initiatives that have been successful in Europe and noting that his soup bar managed to pay for itself.”
More at the Guardian, here.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
What a great system. It says something that people are willing to pay what they can and try to be fair about it. Cheers
Some pay-what-you-can schemes have not worked out in the long run, but this one seems to have all the elements of success.
I really like this sort of story, too. Food is so plentiful for so many of us–like you, we are wasteful–but we need to always remember that there are people going hungry. I’m impressed with this plan to get the food to those who need it!
I keep trying to learn how to buy only what I need and throw out less.
This is a great way to help folks out! I don’t waste too much here on the farm.. slop goes to pigs… any veggie,or old fruit that chickens will eat ,goes to them and the rest goes to the compost. I can see where it would be harder for you though.
I wonder if I’d be allowed to have pigs and chickens on my tiny suburban lot. Probably not.
😂 probably not the pigs! A hen or two maybe?
Such a great chef for a brilliant cause! We recently wrote a post on Jagger Gordon too 🙂 Did you know for Christmas in 2016 he did a huge food drive for people in need? We found him on 60 second docs on Facebook and were absolutely awed by his work. Wonderful post!
He really shows that one person can have an impact.