CNE vendors donate over 11,000 kg of surplus food to fight hunger

Food vendors at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto have donated more than 11,000 kilograms of leftover food to an organization that will distribute it to those who need it.

Second Harvest, the largest food rescue organization in Canada, will deliver the food to community organizations that in turn will distribute it to those in need. The vendors helped to fill much of a Second Harvest truck on Exhibition Grounds on Tuesday, a day after the CNE ended. The annual fair ran from Aug. 16 to Sept. 2.

An estimated 20 to 30 food vendors took part in the organized food donation to Second Harvest, according to the CNE. Fair officials said they organized a "collective effort on a large scale" to have leftover food donated to avoid food waste.

Darrell Brown, CEO of the Canadian National Exhibition Association, said on Tuesday that the organization tries to ensure that organic material from the fair doesn't end up in the landfill. He said this year is the first that the donation was organized this way.

"A lot of individual vendors here have had their own traditions of giving to particular food banks but we wanted to try to do something to consolidate it," he told CBC Toronto. "We wanted to find the distribution capacity so that we could get it out there into the network and get it out there fast."

Brown said in a statement that vendors "came through in a big way" to donate food and it was rewarding that the CNE was able to end the season by putting surplus food to good use.

"Food is synonymous with the CNE, and so is community. We know that when there is a need, or an ask to support the community, our CNE vendors are always ready to answer the call," Brown said.

Vendors donated perishable and non-perishable food items, including bags of potatoes and bags of corn, bread such as hamburger and hot dog buns, fresh and frozen vegetables and fruit, and frozen meat such as hamburgers and seafood, the CNE said. 

Winston Rosser, vice-president of food rescue operations for Second Harvest, said the food will make a difference.

"Second Harvest delivers surplus food to over 300 charity and non-profit partners across the city and thousands more right across the country. There are thousands and thousands of people that will benefit from this food," Rosser said.

Rosser said Second Harvest expected to have many of the perishable items in the hands of people on Tuesday within hours of the truck leaving the grounds.

"Perishable food recovery is our expertise at Second Harvest. So proteins, produce, dairy — it's something that we're very well-versed in turning around pretty quickly, sometimes as soon as the very same day."

Rosser said the donation not only helps people but also it helps the environment.

"Surplus food going to landfills is contributing directly to our climate crisis, when in reality, it's perfectly good food that can be redistributed to charity and nonprofit partners, and feed people in need," he said.

Adam Cohen, a food vendor and owner of Event Foods that has eight booths in the Food Building at the CNE, said he had two skids of leftovers when the Ex closed on Monday. In past years, he said he has always found somewhere to donate the leftover stock.

"We've been sending our leftovers to some local organizations," Cohen said.

But he said not all vendors have been doing the same, adding: "In the past, yeah, I've seen the garbage room just get filled with people just dumping."

This year Cohen urged other vendors to help out as well. Instead of dumping excess food, vendors brought their excess food to him.

"It's a good way to reduce waste at the CNE and send it to people who need it," Cohen said.

According to early estimates, about 1.4 million visited the CNE this year, according to Tran Nguyen, media relations officer for the CNE. Official attendance figures will be available in a couple of weeks, Nguyen said.