Innovative grocery store completely transforms how customers pay for food: 'You would be surprised how many hugs I get'

A non-profit in Toronto is offering residents a new model of grocery shopping, aiming to cut down on food insecurity for individuals as well as lower the amount of food waste in the city.

Feed It Forward runs both a grocery store that takes high-quality produce from restaurants, farms, and retailers and sells it at affordable prices or gives it away to those in need, according to a report by The Green Line (via Toronto City News Everywhere). They also have a food sharing app that connects locals to share food by uploading the food's details and pick-up location.

According to the outlet, nearly 25% of Toronto residents are food insecure, and in December of 2024, the city council declared food insecurity an emergency.

Feed It Forward's "pay-what-you-can" model has already proven to be a significant help to those struggling to find food on tight or non-existent budgets.

"You would be surprised how many hugs I get alone, just from people being like, 'Oh man I never knew a place like this existed,' and you got people that are down to their last dollar," Zack B., Feed It Forward's store manager, told the outlet. 

A large component of the food insecurity issue is tied to food waste. According to the UN World Food Program, one-fifth of food produced for humans goes to waste annually, equivalent to one billion meals a day. 

All that waste is economically and environmentally damaging. The UN reported that food waste costs the global economy $1 trillion and accounts for up to 10% of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Carson Foster, Feed It Forward's CEO, highlighted that the modern production models for grocery stores are inefficient, letting perfectly usable food go to waste.

"They create food en masse, without knowing whether it'll actually be utilized, and then when it can't [be used] because of best before dates, meanwhile it's still good, they just can't sell it in traditional ways," Foster told The Green Line.

Every little bit helps when it comes to cutting down on food waste, from planning meals to maximize ingredients, shopping locally, making the most of leftovers, and even growing your own food if possible.

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