Behavior Change
‘Zero-Waste Chef’ Campaign Inspires Canadians to Eliminate At-Home Food Waste

Each year, Canadians waste an astonishing 2.2 million tonnes of food, with 13 percent of that resulting from leftovers. For Canada's Circular Economy Month and Waste Reduction Week (October 16-22) this year, the country’s only homegrown food-delivery network, SkipTheDishes (which operates as GrubHub in the US) has partnered with the Circular Innovation Council and three of Canada's top chefs to help Canadians reimagine their takeout leftovers.

Similar to Hellman’s “Make Taste, Not Waste” campaign, which has helped inspire US consumers to reduce at-home food waste with creative uses for leftover food, Skip enlisted the expertise of notable chefs from top restaurants from across Canada to create easy, delicious recipes that Canadians can make at home using any leftovers they may have from the restaurants' most popular dishes. The chefs showcase how to easily combat food waste by simply combining what's left from their takeout order through an accessible content series on Skip's Instagram page.

Skip's “Zero-Waste Chef” content series brings together some of Canada's most trusted food authorities across the Skip network, who were tasked to reimagine their most beloved dishes in an innovative way to ensure Canadians can feel empowered to enjoy every last bite of their leftover meals. This includes:

• Victor Barry from Piano Piano in Toronto, who transformed the restaurant’s iconic Veal (or Eggplant) Parmesan into a decadent breakfast sandwich to enjoy the next day

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  Jamie Cholack from Tacofino in Vancouver, who took Tacofino's beloved Salsa Verde and reimagined it into delectable Chilaquiles

• And Amit Bangar (below) from Calgary’s Calcutta Cricket Club, who upcycled its famous Butter Chicken dish into a Butter Chicken Penne Pasta.

"As we continue our fight against food waste, we know that even a small change can go a long way and we want to inspire Canadians to do just that," says Steve Puchala, Interim CEO of SkipTheDishes. "With more than 50,000 restaurant partners on the Skip network across over 260 cities and towns in Canada, we recognize the important role we play in driving more sustainable behaviours for our industry, our communities and our environment; and look forward to working with our restaurants and customers to deliver positive change."

For the month of October, Skip and the Circular Innovation Council have joined forces to provide education and inspiration on how Canadians can reuse any leftover food they may have, and make small changes that can make a big difference for both the planet and Canadians' wallets.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with SkipTheDishes for Circular Economy Month and Waste Reduction Week, as we work to continue efforts in tackling food waste amongst Canadians and promoting a circular economy in Canada," says Jo-Anne St. Godard, Executive Director at Circular Innovation Council. "Over 50 percent of all food in Canada is wasted every year; and with food insecurity at an all-time high, the environmental, economic and social impacts are felt all across Canada. By collaborating with Skip, we are hoping to further generate awareness amongst Canadians about this growing crisis."

The leftover-curious can access these new recipes by visiting www.circularinnovation.ca or by heading to @skipthedishes to find full videos highlighting zero-waste recipes that were curated by the chefs themselves.