Rome, Italy (Rural Roots Canada) – Olaoluwa Kehinde is passionate about eliminating food waste.

The graduate of Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, United Kingdom, where he received his Masters in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security, recently completed a research paper on food waste in Canada.

During his studies, Kehinde discovered 58 per cent of food goes to waste, which amounts to about $27 billion being wasted annually.

His research also revealed that Canada has done a lot of work in developing a lot of policies and regulations to reduce food waste.

Kehinde grew up in Nigeria, where he studied agricultural extension and rural development and worked on various farms and organizations, ensuring sustainable agriculture.

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During that time, his interest in agriculture and the agri-food system grew.

“I believe there is a lot of work to do in regard to awareness and education to reduce food waste.

We have to ensure that we have consumer behaviour change, and we can only do this through education,” says Kehinde.

In this interview, Kehinde talks about:

0:00 – His Background and Passion for Sustainable Food Systems and eliminating food waste.

1:06 – Research into food waste in Canada 2:20 – Contributing food waste factors

3:30 – Apps to help curb household and restaurant food waste

6:20 – How reducing food waste can improve environmental sustainability

8:28 – His passion for improving the Canadian food system through waste reduction