Moisson Montréal's Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets demonstrates amazing results: nearly two years in operation and 855 tons of recovered food

MONTREAL, Oct. 8, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Moisson Montréal is proud to announce that it has recovered close to 855 tons of food, including 370 tons of meat, since the creation of the Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets back in October 2013. This represents savings of more than $8 million for our accredited organizations. Due to the outstanding results of the first two quarters of 2015, the food bank will be able to stay the course until March 2016, the date at which point it envisions having recovered 1,200 tons of food from the Greater Montreal supermarkets and helped a growing number of organizations who would otherwise not have had the means to feed their clientele.

"Our network of partnering supermarkets is growing; over 90 supermarkets on the Island of Montreal and on the South Shore now donate their unsold foodstuffs to our organization instead of throwing them out to be destroyed or composted. Moisson Montréal is therefore able to distribute this healthy food to over 70 community organizations who assist close to 34,500 people per month", stated Julie Bourbonnière, Director of Communications, Marketing and Finance at Moisson Montréal.

In partnership with the supermarkets Loblaws, Provigo, Maxi, Super C and Metro, Moisson Montréal is following its deployment plan and will integrate four more Moisson food bank members to the Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets between now and Christmas. Already counting four participating FRPS regions (Moisson Montréal, Moisson Rive-Sud, Moisson Québec and the Comptoir Alimentaire de Sept-Îles), a pilot project will be introduced to four additional Moisson food bank locations: Moisson Sud-Ouest, Moisson Mauricie, Moisson Outaouais and Moisson Beauce. The employee training program will be facilitated by a virtual training platform produced by Panache Studios.

"Since April 2015, Moisson Rive-Sud is a partner of the Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets in 24 South Shore supermarkets, of which 12 transformation organizations are beneficiaries. This rarity brings joy to many and we hope to offer a similar feeling to the 42 transformation organizations in the Montérégie by January 2016. An innovative and environmentally friendly initiative that makes a big difference!" says Nola Leblanc, Executive Director at Moisson Rive-Sud.

"The Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets is growing steadily in Quebec and we are implementing it in a sustainable way thanks to partnerships like the ones we have with Loblaws and Metro, but also thanks to donors who have helped cover some of the important costs related to the deployment of the FRPS", says Ms. Bourbonnière. Major donors are the leading source of revenue for Moisson Montréal and thanks to a substantial contribution from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), through the .CA Community Investment Program, we were able to create a unique virtual training platform for the supermarket employees and managers." This training tool has been tailored for Moisson Montréal and Moisson Québec, and will be tailored for each participating Moisson food bank over the course of the coming years.

The .CA Community Investment Program was designed to give small organizations the opportunity to create unique and effective digital communication tools. "Technology is changing rapidly and we need to ensure that the resources not-for-profit organizations need to innovate just as rapidly are made available to them. Thanks to the .CA Community Investment Program, hundreds of Quebec supermarkets will be able to train their employees remotely and thus ensure a double impact: reduce food waste and make it possible to find sustainable solutions for the food insecurity problem in Montreal and elsewhere", explained David Fowler, Director of Marketing and Communications at .CA.

The virtual training platform was produced by Panache Studios in order to raise employee awareness, at Moisson's food banks and supermarkets, of the problems related to food insecurity and waste, as well as the key challenges related to the FRPS implementation in each region. The Moisson food banks must meet the supermarket chains' standards for quality control, food traceability and the cold chain. All employees must receive the necessary training for this program and collaborate on monitoring standards.

To access the online training platform, please visit www.panachestudios.com/mmtl.

To consult the FRPS technical datasheet with comprehensive information, please visit our website at www.moissonmontreal.org/campaigns-programs.

About Moisson Montréal
A non-profit organization founded in 1984, Moisson Montréal is today the largest food bank in Canada. Through its centre for collecting, sorting and distributing emergency food assistance, the organization allocates nearly 1,000 tons of food per month to close to 250 accredited community organizations on the Island of Montreal. In turn, these organizations provide food assistance to 140,000 people, including 40,000 children between the ages of 0 and 5. Moisson Montréal receives funding and supplies mainly through donations. Its operations require the collaboration of nearly 8,000 volunteers each year and result in the redistribution of about 13 million kilos of foodstuffs, representing a total value of close to $61 million. Winner of the 2015 Novae Corporate Citizenship Prize in the Supply category for its Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets. For additional information: www.moissonmontreal.org

About Moisson Rive-Sud

Moisson Rive-Sud is the largest food bank in the Montérégie area that recovers foodstuffs from agribusinesses for free redistribution to close to 80 accredited organizations. Moisson Rive-Sud redistributes 3,733,085 kg of foodstuffs annually, representing a market value of over 19 million of dollars. http://moissonrivesud.org   

About .CA and the Community Investment Program
Through the Community Investment Program, .CA funds projects that demonstrate the capacity to improve the Internet for all Canadians. The .CA team manages Canada's country code top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. A Member-driven organization, .CA represents the interests of Canada's Internet community internationally.

SOURCE MOISSON MONTREAL

For information or interview requests, please contact: Alexandra Carpentier, Communications Coordinator, Moisson Montréal, T. 514 344-4494, ext. 239, C. 514 701-4206, [email protected]; Ryan Saxby Hill, Communications manager for .CA, T. 613-316-2397, [email protected]