There have been 343 applications for the federal agriculture department’s food waste reduction challenge.
The $20-million challenge was issued in November, inviting applicants to put forward their ideas for reducing food waste.
Up to $10.8 million is available for the first challenge; a second will open this spring.
Of the 343 applications received, 27 per cent were youths, 30 per cent were from visible minorities and 32 per cent were women.
The first round was for proposals that will reduce food waste at any point from farms to dinner plates. The second will focus on new technologies that extend the life of food or transform food waste into new foods or value-added products.
