Cut Waste, Grow Profit Forum

Nov 20, 2012

On Monday, November 19, 2012 approximately 85 participants, which included representatives from food service/retail, academia, farmers, government and academia attended the Cut Waste, GROW PROFIT Forum, which was hosted by the George Morris Centre at the Maple Leaf ThinkFood Centre in Mississauga. The theme of the day was on how to reduce food waste, leading to increased profitability and environmental sustainability.

Focus was placed on the four main areas:

Canadian opportunities within an international perspective
Opportunities in processing and distribution
Reducing food waste along the value chain
Creating institutional change

Participants had the opportunity to hear from speakers such as Dr. Keivan Zokaei, University of Buckingham (UK); Andrew Telfer, Manager of Sustainability, Walmart Canada; David Smith, Vice President of Sustainability, Sobeys Inc; Jamie Reaume, Chair, Ontario Food Terminal/ Executive Director, Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, and more.

Source: OntarioPork

Video: Season 6, Episode 7: Takeaways from the Second International Conference on Pig Livability

This year’s conference fostered open, engaging conversations around current research in the swine industry, bringing together hundreds of attendees from 31 states and six countries. Two leaders who helped organize the event joined today’s episode: Dr. Joel DeRouchey, professor and swine extension specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University, and Dr. Edison Magalhaes, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Iowa State University. They share key takeaways from the conference, including the importance of integrating data when evaluating whole-herd livability, building a culture of care among employees and adopting new technologies. Above all, the discussion reinforces that this industry remains, at its core, a people business.