Community Eats: So Much More than a Free Lunch

If you are already a regular Community Eats participant, you know how tasty the vegan lunches are and how busy this regular event has become on campus. Every second week, the lineups in the basement of the SUB attest to the success of this innovative initiative.

Tasty food aside, you may not be aware of some of the food systems issues that Community Eats wants to get you thinking and talking about...

Food waste and food security are two of the top reasons that Community Eats was started. Every day, restaurants and grocery stores across Canada throw out literally tonnes of decent food. There are some great programs, like Quest Food Exchange, that try to address this food waste issue. Community Eats wants to do its part, so volunteers collect food from grocery suppliers that would normally get thrown out, helping to reduce the greenhouse gases (namely methane) that get released when food ends up in landfills.

Community Eats also wants you to think about another type of food waste: disposable containers that get used at fast food outlets. Styrofoam and plastic are two of the most common and contribute to the substantial amount of waste that comes from the food industry. Be sure to remember your reusable container when you come to a Community Eats lunch... you could even go a step further by bringing one to other food outlets on campus as most are happy to fill up your container instead of using a disposable one.

To find out more about food waste and sustainability initiatives on campus, check out: http://climateaction.ubc.ca or www.sustain.ubc.ca.

Food security is a complex issue that has many layers. Community Eats, along with other great initiatives on campus, such as the Sprouts, UBC Farm and Agora Eats Cafe, are working on addressing food system and food security issues at UBC. If you are new to the food security discussion, check out this resource http://www.ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/. If you are more advanced, feel free to comment on this blog: Why are initiatives like Community Eats an important part of our food system?

Stay tuned for more blog posts from Patty Hambler, ADED 501 student and guest blogger.