The National Zero Waste Council, in collaboration with
Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL),
Halifax Regional Municipality,
Halifax Food Policy Alliance, and others is leading support for the development of food hubs in mainland Nova Scotia that integrate circularity and food loss and waste (FLW) prevention. Circular food hubs in Nova Scotia aim to create an anchor of activity in the Canadian landscape and contribute to the evolution of a Canada-wide circular food system.
Project Background
In 2021 and 2022, the National Zero Waste Council collaborated with Circular Economy Leadership Canada, Our Food Future, Save-On-Foods, and the Vancouver Economic Commission to explore
circular food systems in Canada. Through this work, place-based circular food hubs were identified as critical to advancing circular food systems and waste prevention in Canada. A circular food hub connects place-based stakeholders across the food system to ensure FLW is prevented by following circular economy principles of designing out waste and pollution, circulating resources, and regenerating natural systems.
Circular food hubs are in development in other parts of Canada, including Vancouver and Montreal. Guelph-Wellington has a fully-formed circular food hub in place, led by Our Food Future, and continues to be Canada’s leading example. For food system change in the Canadian context to occur, place-based circular food hubs need to be secured in key anchor points across the country.
Circular Food Hubs: Mainland Nova Scotia uses a 5-step project designed by COIL to support the evolution of circular food hubs. It uses a peer-to-peer learning approach, where participants connect with those leading similar innovations elsewhere in Canada, as well as local Nova Scotian leaders interested in pursuing food waste prevention and circularity. The mainland Nova Scotia project supports the evolution of an Atlantic-coast circular food hub anchor that is place-based, yet contributes to the emergence of a circular, Canada-wide food system.
