Drawings of fruit

Circular Food Innovation Lab 2

The lab placed the issue of food waste into the minds of staff on my retail floor. They were empowered—their choices were having direct impact on the massive problem of food waste

Feedback from a CFIL-1 participant

Funding Partners

Project Contributors

  • Businesses
  • Institutions
  • Organizations
  • Local Nations
  • Urban Indigenous community representatives

Rising costs and shifts in supply and consumer spending, have affected all food sectors. As of July 2025, 41% of Canadian food service companies were operating at a loss or just breaking even. Reducing waste can help reduce costs.

With our project partner Emily Carr University , we are working with people across the food supply chain to find better ways to stop edible food from going to waste.

Our second Circular Food Innovation Lab (CFIL-2) builds on what we learned in the first lab. Together, we’re exploring how changes in staff training, operations, and partnerships can help make the food industry more sustainable, reduce waste, and build a stronger, more resilient food system.
 

What's happeningCircular Food Innovation Lab 2 report coming in 2026

Our report, and the tools and materials used in the project, will be publicly available in April, 2026. 

Sign-up for updates

Want more information? Email: solving-food-waste@vancouver.ca

Timeline

Here is our progress and planned milestones.

  • December 2023

    City of Vancouver is awarded a grant from the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance Game Changer Fund (CNCA)

  • May 2024

    Recruitment of business participants begins

  • June 19 2024

    Information session

  • July to August 2024

    One-to-one meetings with businesses who have completed the application form

  • October 2024 to October 2025

    Participants will work with designers to identify possible solutions to wasted food they can test and learn from.

  • October 2025

    Learnings from prototyping will be compiled into a final public report.

  • April 2026

    Release of final report and CFIL-2 prototype collection

Contact us

Email: solving-food-waste@vancouver.ca