The Surplus Food Rescue Program is designed to address urgent, high volume, highly perishable surplus products falling under fruit, vegetables, meat and fish and seafood.
Much of what’s being bought was destined for restaurants and the hospitality industry which can no longer use it because of the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to close.
The Program awarded contributions to eight organizations including Food Banks Canada, Second Harvest and La Tablée des Chefs.
They will be distributing about 12 million kilograms of products such as potatoes, walleye fish, chicken, turkey and eggs, and more.
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau was at Nutri-Group head office at Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., to announce some of the program details.
Too bad it took the government so long to get the program up and running. When it was really needed was when restaurants were first closed down and supply chains were disrupted.
