Q-828 , 45th Parliament, 1st session May 26, 2025, to present

With regard to food waste, food diversion, and organic waste management in Canadian Armed Forces bases, wings, stations, and other Department of National Defence facilities, including all kitchen, galley, dining hall, and mess operations: (a) what amount of food waste was produced by Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces food service operations for each of the past five fiscal years, broken down by (i) base or wing, (ii) type of facility (kitchen, galley, mess, dining hall), (iii) category of food waste (pre-consumer, post-consumer, prepared-but-unserved, expired, etc.); (b) of the food waste identified in (a), what amount was diverted from landfill through (i) donation to community organizations, shelters, or food banks, (ii) repurposing for secondary use (animal feed, secondary processing), (iii) composting (on site or off site), (iv) recycling or anaerobic digestion programs, broken down by fiscal year since 2019-20; (c) what food donation programs or partnerships presently exist, either formally or informally, at any Canadian Armed Forces bases, wings, or stations, broken down by (i) names of partner organizations, (ii) volumes of food donated annually, (iii) the terms or memoranda of understanding governing such donations; (d) what composting or organic waste programs are currently in effect; (e) what recycling programs for food-related materials (such as oils, fats, grease, packaging, or organics) exist at Department of National Defence facilities, broken down by base; (f) what Department of National Defence or Canadian Armed Forces policies, directives, regulations, or risk management rules currently prevent or limit the diversion of edible food for the purposes of donation or repurposing, including food safety, liability, contractual limitations, Treasury Board or other government operational rules; (g) what actions are being taken by the Department of National Defence or Canadian Armed Forces to explore, pilot, or implement measures that would reduce food waste in military messes and kitchens, increase donation or diversion of edible food, and align military food service operations with federal waste reduction and sustainability targets; (h) what studies, internal reviews, consultations, or pilot projects related to food waste reduction or diversion have been undertaken since 2015, broken down by the (i) name of the initiative, (ii) purpose of each initiative, (iii) dates conducted, (iv) participating bases, (v) findings and recommendations; and (i) what funding has been allocated or spent since 2015 on activities, infrastructure, or programs related to food waste management or diversion within Department of National Defence or Canadian Armed Forces food service operations, broken down by (i) fiscal year, (ii) base, (iii) type of expenditure (composting equipment, partnerships, audits, training)?