NATIONAL SCHOOL FOOD WASTE CHALLENGE

Join the movement of schools across the country leading the charge on food waste reduction, one cafeteria at a time.


Nearly half of all food produced for Canadians is wasted every year.

When this much food goes uneaten, all the land, water, energy and labour used to grow, transport and prepare it are lost too.

Avoidable food waste (food that’s perfectly good to eat but ends up going to waste) creates 25.69 million metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, the same as more than 250,000 flights from Toronto to Vancouver.  

Addressing food waste is one of the most powerful climate actions we can take.

How it works
  1. Register Your School
    • Sign up your school by emailing training@secondharvest.ca.
    • Receive your downloadable toolkit, which includes everything you need to get started.
  2. Build Your Team
    • Recruit at least four student leaders and one staff member to help champion and guide the campaign within your school.  
    • Schedule regular meetings throughout the duration of your campaign.
  3. Measure & Set Goals
    • Complete the short baseline survey.
    • Use our simple tools to track how much food your school is wasting.
    • Set a realistic and achievable goal for reducing that waste.
  4. Launch Your Campaign
    • Use posters, announcements, games and ready-to-go activities to reduce waste within your school environment.
    • Share your journey on social media using #SchoolFoodWasteChallenge.  
      • Tag  @SecondHarvestCA and @doornumberonenfp and we will amplify your messages!
  5. Celebrate Your Success
    • Track your progress with our measurement sheet.
    • Share results at a school assembly, in local media or with us for a chance to be featured nationally

Additional Resources