Just less than half the food produced in the U.S. and Canada is thrown away. It starts on farms where, because of quotas or over-production, dairy and produce is tossed away. Grocery wholesalers destroy perfectly good fruits and vegetables that don’t pass the eye test because of bruising. Restaurants that can’t grasp the concept of just-in-time delivery cut into their thin margins by throwing out the over-ordered supplies. And, thanks to a lack of meal planning, the average Canadian household is estimated to garbage-can as much as 40 per cent of the shopping cart.