Cut Waste, Grow Profit Forum

Nov 20, 2012

On Monday, November 19, 2012 approximately 85 participants, which included representatives from food service/retail, academia, farmers, government and academia attended the Cut Waste, GROW PROFIT Forum, which was hosted by the George Morris Centre at the Maple Leaf ThinkFood Centre in Mississauga. The theme of the day was on how to reduce food waste, leading to increased profitability and environmental sustainability.

Focus was placed on the four main areas:

Canadian opportunities within an international perspective
Opportunities in processing and distribution
Reducing food waste along the value chain
Creating institutional change

Participants had the opportunity to hear from speakers such as Dr. Keivan Zokaei, University of Buckingham (UK); Andrew Telfer, Manager of Sustainability, Walmart Canada; David Smith, Vice President of Sustainability, Sobeys Inc; Jamie Reaume, Chair, Ontario Food Terminal/ Executive Director, Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, and more.

Source: OntarioPork

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.