Food waste diversion company receives $1.5+ million from feds

Food waste diversion company Outcast Inc. is getting up to $1,545,000 in funding from the Canadian government to support food waste reduction in Canada.

The funding is to support the expansion of Outcast’s demonstration plant in Dartmouth, NS and commission a new full-scale facility in Burlington, Ont. Together the two plants are projected to process up to 35,800,000 tonnes of waste fruit and vegetables by 2024 into more than 4,100,000 million pounds of plant-based, powdered ingredients annually, at a conversion rate of approximately 12 per cent. The plant-based ingredients created at these facilities are sold as branded health products as well as raw food and beverage ingredients.

“Canadian food researchers are globally recognized innovators in sustainable development and food waste reduction. The transformation of unsellable fruits and vegetables into high-quality plant-based powders will generate additional revenue streams for agricultural producers. Through tackling greenhouse gas emissions produced by food waste while developing healthy products, the program will be win-win for Canadian agriculture,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food.