TORONTO, April 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As a result of a logistics partnership with Sysco, Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization, delivered nearly 1.4 million pounds of food to 785 non-profits in 332 communities across Canada through the federal government’s Surplus Food Rescue Program.

The COVID-related shutdowns of hotels, restaurants and institutions led to unprecedented amounts of food surplus for foodservice businesses and producers. With no market for this surplus, a huge loss of revenue for the industry and the waste of edible and much-needed food was imminent. In consultation with the food industry and Second Harvest, the federal government initiated the Surplus Food Rescue Program, which provided funding for non-profit organizations like Second Harvest to purchase food and redistribute it to community food programs across Canada.

“As a newly national non-profit coordinating perishable food deliveries across Canada during the pandemic, we were racing the clock to get food to people in need,” said Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest. “Sysco brought unique logistics skills to our food rescue and redistribution program. Because they’re experienced working with players from small restaurants all the way to huge university campuses, they helped navigate the needs of our 700-plus diverse non-profit partners. We are truly grateful for their expertise and support.”

In total, 785 charities in 332 communities, including Indigenous communities, received nearly 1.4 million pounds of surplus food deliveries through Sysco, serving nearly 200,000 people. In addition, by keeping this edible food out of landfill, approximately 4.6 million pounds of greenhouse gases did not enter the atmosphere.

“Second Harvest has been a great partner to Sysco Canada and we are proud to support the Surplus Food Rescue Program and help address the extraordinary increase in hunger brought on by the pandemic,” said Neil Russell, Sysco’s senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief communications officer. “At Sysco, we are committed to nourishing our neighbors and partnering with nonprofit organizations to fight hunger, and this partnership highlights the impact we can have when we partner to help those most in need.”  

About Second Harvest 
Second Harvest is the largest food rescue organization in Canada and a global thought leader in food recovery. Working across the supply chain – from farm to retail – we capture surplus perishable food before it ends up in landfill negatively impacting our environment. The Second Harvest Food Rescue App connects businesses with surplus food to local non-profits, ensuring good food gets to people. With the global pandemic, Second Harvest is leading the Food Rescue Canadian Alliance (FRCA), bringing together government, industry, Indigenous communities and the non-profit sector to ensure food reaches the most vulnerable members of our communities, from coast to coast to coast. Learn more at https://secondharvest.ca/. 

About Sysco
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With more than 57,000 associates, the company operates 326 distribution facilities worldwide and serves more than 625,000 customer locations. For fiscal 2020 that ended June 27, 2020, the company generated sales of more than $52 billion. Information about our CSR program, including Sysco’s 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, can be found at www.sysco.com/csr2020report.

For more information or to schedule an interview:
Benita Aalto, Senior Manager, Marketing & Communications
benitaa@secondharvest.ca
416-209-1391

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