TORONTO -- When Gillian Pulfer picked up roasted sweet potato soup, flank steak and chicken salad from a Toronto Pusateri's Fine Foods for $10 last weekend, the deal was too good not to brag about.
"It's a more high-end, luxury grocery store...so most people don't necessarily have the budget to go shop there, but you're saving money and you're getting good food," said Pulfer.
After chowing down, she let her Instagram followers in on her secret: She found the haul on Too Good to Go. The app is one of many uniting deal-seekers with restaurants and grocers eager to keep aging food that's still fit for consumption out of the trash in exchange for a small fee.
Users of apps like Too Good To Go, Flashfood, Feedback and Olio say they have paid anywhere from $3 to $10 for prepared lunches or dinners, a week's worth of vegetables and fruit, several loaves of bread, pastry boxes and even, entire pizzas or cakes.
The savings often go a long way, said Eric Tribe, Flashfood's chief marketplace officer.
"Over the holidays, we had a father who wrote in and thanked us because he'd been let go from his job due to COVID-19 and he used the money saved on Flashfood to buy stocking stuffers for his kids," said Tribe.
The app, which is used by supermarket conglomerate Loblaw Corp., was started by Toronto entrepreneur Josh Domingues in 2016, after his chef sister threw out $4,000 of food following a catered event.
The app offers produce, meat, fish, bread, dairy and pantry staples nearing their best before date and often marked down by at least 50 per cent. Some items last for weeks, if frozen or cooked. Others have a day or two left.
Orders are retrieved in supermarkets, which typically mark items nearing their best before dates down or donate them to charities, food banks and farms for animal feed.
But those methods still leave grocers responsible for a quarter of the country's food waste, so Flashfood targeted that portion exclusively, said Tribe. (The app does not divert food from charities, he added.)
To date, Flashfood has kept more than 13.5 million kilograms of food out of landfills and saved users a collective $90 million.
However, Second Harvest, a charity redistributing unsold items to people in need, estimates that almost 60 per cent or 35.5 million tonnes of food produced in Canada is wasted annually.
About 32 per cent or 11.2 million tonnes of that lost food is edible and could be redirected to people in need.
"Some people claim this food waste can be solved by downloading an app," said Maria Corradini, the Arrell Chair in Food Quality at the University of Guelph.
"That's probably not true, but of course they can have a contribution to reducing this burden."
She believes better inventory planning and use of artificial intelligence would go even further to addressing food waste.
Too Good To Go's country manager for Canada agrees inventory management is key, but said, "matching supply and demand is very complex" and no restaurant wants to produce less only to find it can't serve late customers.
Too Good To Go mostly deals with restaurants, bakeries, and butchers, but also partners with grocery and convenience stores.
Users of the app, which was founded in Copenhagen in 2016 and expanded to Canada last July, order ahead before fetching items at designated times.
What they pick up is a mystery because businesses sell "surprise bags," and while some offer hints about their contents, others don't.
For example, Italian food purveyor Eataly advertises some $8 bags as having charcuterie ingredients, but McEwan Foods, celebrity chef Mark McEwan's supermarket, shares no clues about its $8 bags.
Toronto bakery Daan Go Cake Lab's bags have featured cake slices or its famous character macarons. Some simply weren't sold that day, but others have cracks or blemishes the bakery's posh clientele wouldn't accept.
Signing up for Too Good To Go was a no-brainer, said chief operating officer James Canedo.
"As chefs, you never want to see food wasted. It's almost sacred for us," he said.
"So many people out there don't have the same privileges, so for food to be wasted, that is something we're trying to prevent."
Corradini lauds those sentiments and said the apps' waste reduction goals are noble, but there are risks.
While some apps only deal with reputable vendors staffed with employees trained in handling food, others like Olio allow anyone to prepare food at home or sell items they can't finish.
"I would never go for something that has been opened because you never know what went on there," Corradini said.
She added that even food from grocers and restaurants should be examined closely before eating and customers should cook, freeze, prepare or consume anything they buy that is due to go off soon very quickly.
Canadians flocking to food rescue apps to reduce grocery bills and waste - BNN Bloomberg
Jan. 28, 2022 "How to save money on your grocery bill amid empty shelves and higher prices": Today I found this article by Sandra Fry on the Financial Post:
As this never-ending pandemic continues to erode our optimism, we now find ourselves facing increased grocery costs as well as many shortages. I cannot recall ever, in my several decades on this Earth, seeing so many empty shelves in the grocery store. With many of our supply chains disrupted and workplaces impacted by Omicron, it’s a wonder there’s any food in the stores at all.
The rising cost of food and the short shelf life of perishables are likely preventing something similar to the infamous 2020 run on toilet paper from happening at the grocery stores today. However, before you get all panicky and think you have to take up extreme couponing as a hobby to get your family the food they need, there are other more reasonable ways to save money at the supermarket.
Prior to heading to the store, take note of what you are throwing away each week. If you find the well-intended bagged salad is not being eaten, stop buying it.
Maybe it’s some other kind of fruit or vegetable that’s just going from cart to trash. North Americans waste a huge amount of food each year, which can be prevented by admitting we should stop buying certain foods unless we can commit to actually eating them.
Then shop your cupboards, fridge and freezer. Take stock of what you have and make your menu from there. I am bad at forgetting what I’ve stocked away in the freezer. It’s good to have some basic staples on hand should you have to suddenly quarantine, but having enough to survive the zombie apocalypse may be going a bit overboard.
Once you have tallied your food inventory, make your menu based on things you already have on hand. Be sure to include some stews or soups to help use up those sad neglected vegetables that are still good enough to eat if cooked.
Warm comfort dishes are great for winter and an efficient way to use tougher inexpensive cuts of meat. Saved bones from a cooked chicken or ham make wonderfully nourishing broth when simmered for several hours with some onion, celery and carrots.
If you own a slow cooker, leave it to simmer overnight/all day. That will give you ready-made stock for a fresh homemade soup for dinner, or you can freeze it for future use — just don’t forget it’s there.
Be sure to be realistic when making a menu. Don’t expect that you are going to have the strength to whip up a different gourmet concoction every night. If you cook in larger batches then you will have leftovers that allow you to take a night off cooking. I often plan to have at least one or two choose-your-own-leftover-adventure nights each week. The cook gets to take the night off, and everyone gets to choose something they like.
There are also lots of great meal planning ideas online that call for cooking once and then repurposing the leftovers into something new on the following days.
For example, a roast can be turned into a quick stir fry with some frozen veggies or fajitas with some sautéed peppers and onions in a tortilla shell. Creative and inexpensive meal planning inspiration is only a few clicks away.
If you find yourself struggling to reduce your grocery costs or even buy enough to feed your family, be sure to review the grocery flyers for sale items each week. There’s nothing wrong with planning your meals based on what is on sale this week.
Many stores will match the sale prices of their competitors, provided you bring the appropriate flyer as proof with you. That means you won’t have to visit five stores looking for deals only to spend your grocery savings on extra gas for your car.
If a large portion of your grocery budget is spent on animal protein, think of adopting meatless menu days as an alternative. There are lots of great protein alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu that are high in protein and easier on the budget.
A chili made with beans and some ground meat is still an excellent source of protein. You can even stretch it further by serving it on top of a baked potato, grain or pasta.
Once you’ve created your meal plan, make a list of what you need to buy. Think of every meal. Breakfast and lunch are just as important as suppers. The more trips a person makes to the grocery store, the more they are going to spend on groceries.
If you can limit shopping to once a week or 10 days, that can help keep your costs down. I don’t think I have ever successfully gone to the store to get some milk and not bought additional items, which is why knowing your food inventory is so important.
One last thing before you head out the door: have a snack. Nothing kills a budget like being hungry while grocery shopping.
Going early in the morning or later in the evening when it’s less busy will make the experience less stressful and help you avoid panicked purchases.
Also, at the beginning and end of the day is when items such as meats and fruit or vegetables are priced for clearance. It’s an excellent way to save on grocery costs as long as you plan on using or freezing what you buy right away.
Regardless of whether you use any of the tips above, a sure-fire way to help yourself spend less is to shop with cash. You are less likely to exceed your budget and buy things not on your list if you have a limited amount of money with you.
Spending with cash forges an emotional attachment to where the money is going. If you shop with credit, you might be less emotionally invested in wasting the food than if you physically hand over the cash to make the purchase.
Some careful planning can help save a lot of time and money at the grocery store and reduce how much we waste. Give yourself the flexibility to shuffle your menu around to eat what you feel like within your plan.
We may not be able to influence the rising cost of food, but we can control how we allocate our resources to get the most out of our grocery budget.
Financial Post
Sandra Fry is a Winnipeg-based credit counsellor at Credit Counselling Society, a non-profit organization that has helped Canadians manage debt for almost 25 years.
How to save money on your grocery bill amid empty shelves and higher prices | Financial Post
This week's theme is about saving money:
"Money just like diet"/ "Wean yourself off yo-yo debt"
Tracy's blog: "Money just like diet"/ "Wean yourself off yo-yo debt" (badcb.blogspot.com)
"What should you spend on groceries?"/ "Grocery savings: here's the only list you'll need"
My week:
Thurs. Jan. 27, 2022 Wal- Mart: I had a gift card for this store, and I printed it out and it has the gift card number and pin number. I went to the store and bought some chips and cookies. I went to the self- checkout and the sales woman said that this can't be processed because there isn't a bar code to scan.
I went to the cashier and asked if she can type in the numbers, and she needed a barcode. I had to go on the website. I went home. This whole trip of getting there, shopping, and going home was 1 hr.
Fri. Jan. 28, 2022 Snack cakes: I went to the website and went shopping and mainly bought snack cakes like Hostess and Vachon. It was because I liked Little Debbie's snack cakes from Shoppers Drug Mart, but they stopped selling them because it was only for the holidays. Snack cakes have really good icing in the cake and on the outside.
You have to spend at least $35 at Wal- Mart so you can either have them delivered to you on the same day ($10) or the next 2 days ($5) or you can pick it up for free at the store.
I picked it up for free.
Table Topics Daily: I went to 3 of these online events last week. I met 3 new people.
I also attended Aimcrier Toastmasters meeting and met 8 new people. The discussion was about how "Home is where the heart is." Do you agree with that?
I would say so, and you can make any place a home.
I went to the websites and I see that Toastmasters International all have the same website layout.
https://www.pursuers.org/
https://friendlyachievers.toastmastersclubs.org/
Jan. 30, 2022 "'Martin' star Tisha Campbell says she 'almost got snatched up' by 'traffickers'": Today I found this article by Megan Johnson on Yahoo news:
Actress Tisha Campbell shared on Instagram that she believed she was almost taken by human traffickers.
Campbell, 53, who rose to fame in the hit '90s sitcom Martin, took to Instagram on Friday to share her experience in a video she originally sent to her brother, and then decided to share with the public.
"Don't freak out, but I think I almost got snatched up," Campbell shared. Dressed in a black Adidas zip-up and a black hat that read "You Go Girl," the star explained in the minute-long video how she found herself in the terrifying situation while on location to film a movie. "They don't have Ubers where I'm filming, so I had to call a taxi. The van that pulls up is real sketchy-looking. There's a guy in the backseat. When he jumps out, the guy is just standing there. He goes, 'get in.'"
Campbell said she peered into the disheveled van, and noticed the backseat looked like it had been removed, and it was dirty, with various pieces in disarray. "The driver goes, 'get in the car.' I go, 'I'm not getting in the car.' The guy in the back is motioning his body towards me to get in the car." When the man told her to get in the front seat, Campbell responded, "I'm not getting in the f****** car. F*** y'all."
While Campbell did not share where the incident took place, TMZ reported it happened in Brownsville, Texas, about 10 minutes from the Mexican border.
'Martin' star Tisha Campbell says she 'almost got snatched up' by 'traffickers' (yahoo.com)
My opinion: Please be careful about calling a taxi and Uber.
"'It gave me hope': Art helps Edmonton woman overcome homelessness": Today I found this article by Liam Harrap on CBC news: This is very inspirational about overcoming mental health problems, art therapy, and following your passion. In this case, art.
After getting diagnosed with schizophrenia and living in Edmonton's homeless shelters, it was through art Madeline LeBlanc was able to regain control of her life.
As a kid, LeBlanc was interested in becoming an artist. However, in high school she was dissuaded as her friends said artists make too little money and made too little difference in the world.
When she was 18, LeBlanc was kicked out of her childhood home. While trying to finish high school and working late nights at an arena, LeBlanc fell ill with psychosis, which was later diagnosed as a symptom of schizophrenia.
"I started talking to birds and believed I was on a mission to save the world," LeBlanc said.
Later, while attending the Youth Empowerment Support Services, a shelter in Edmonton, LeBlanc went into its art program. With some encouragement, LeBlanc eventually held an art show at the shelter.
"That kept my mind active and helped rehabilitate me," she said on CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.
"It gave me hope."
She credits the program's artist in residence Allison Tunis helping re-spark her passion.
'It gave me hope': Art helps Edmonton woman overcome homelessness | CBC News
Jan. 31, 2022 "Watch: Senior confronts alleged shoplifter at a B.C. Walmart": Today I found this. The Video recorder saw a Man/ Shoplifter with his bike and ski mask and towing his cart of unpurchased merchandise.
A Senior woman puts her cart in front of the automatic doors and blocks him and rips off his ski mask. The Man/ shoplifter gets his bag and bike and leaves. Last month, this is the same Wal- Mart where a security guard was stabbed for stopping a shoplifter.
Edmonton News | Watch Local Breaking News (ctvnews.ca)
Feb. 2, 2022 La Brea: I finished watching the first season of this show.
"A massive sinkhole mysteriously opens up in Los Angeles, separating part of a family in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a desperate group of strangers."
La Brea (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDb
My opinion: When I saw the pilot, I didn't really like it. However, I recorded the series and watched the show in a couple of weeks when my other favorite shows are on break. This show was actually pretty good. There is a pretty good mystery as they try to get back home.
Spoiler alert: They're in 10,000 BC. They then learn there is a portal where they can go to 1988.
Do you want to go to 1988 or stay in 10,000 BC?
Table Topic Dailies: I asked this question last night, and there were only 3 of us.
J (Asian, early 30s) says he would stay in 10,000 BC if my friends and family were there. Also it seems more interesting.
Ai (Asian, 30s) says she would go to 1988.
My answer: I like the TV show and I would like to live there with these people. However, I would probably go to 1988. I remember a old Facebook quiz, about travelling back in time.
What is the list of things you would do and in what order?
One of them was "Invest in Google" and "Commit revenge on someone."
I would invest in Google, Apple, etc.
Gratitude: Watching this show did make me be grateful to be in living in 2022. Also J did ask: Here is a box: what is a really good thing for humanity?
-high speed internet
-technology like computers, tablets, smartphones
-medicine
Jan. 30, 2022 "Hero toddler alerted his parents that their house was on fire. They had lost their sense of smell to COVID-19 and didn't notice the smoke": Today I found this article by Bethany Dawson on Yahoo news:
Two parents who had lost their sense of smell to COVID-19 couldn't smell the smoke from the fire blazing through their home. Their lives were saved by their two-year-old.
The Washington Post interviewed Kayla and Nathan Dahl, from Alvord, Texas, whose son Brandon woke them up by saying "mama, hot" — two of the only words the toddler knew.
Their smoke alarm had failed, and with the pair suffering from COVID-19 related anosmia, they thought the child needed his pajamas taken off — until they saw the flames.
After Brandon raised the alarm, the family, including five children, escaped their home before it burned to the ground.
"We were still recovering from COVID, so neither of us had our sense of taste and smell," Kayla told The Washington Post in an interview.
The parents told The Post about how Brandon managed to travel through the family living room — which was fully engulfed by flames — and make it through to his parents' room and warn them.
The family plans a party for Brandon to celebrate his heroism, surprising him with a "Baby Shark" cake.
My opinion: That's some good news that the family is safe. Please check your smoke alarms.
Feb. 3, 2022 "Jazmine was waiting tables at IHOP when one of her customers changed her life": I found this yesterday:
My opinion: She was sideswiped from behind and got up right after that. Ellen gave her a jacket that lights up so she won't get hit and a 6 day vacation at Beaches resort.
