All My Relations: Applying Social Innovation and Indigenous Methodology to Challenge the Paradigm of Food Waste

This chapter introduces food waste scholars to the role of social innovation in addressing the complex issue of food waste. It presents findings from the Food Systems Lab, a one-year social innovation lab to address the issue of food waste piloted in the City of Toronto. A total of 92 stakeholders were engaged in a collaborative social innovation process representing various sectors across the food system including retail, farming, food processing, food business, Indigenous leaders, faith leaders, chefs, civil society, policy makers, and more. The participants engaged in a timeline exercise, exploratory “research missions” as well as intersectoral group projects. In addition, semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with 47 stakeholders across the Greater Toronto Area to better understand the root causes of food waste. This chapter also explores alternative conceptual frameworks, which emerged from the participation of Indigenous stakeholders. This paradigm is exemplified in the Indigenous teachings of “All My Relations.” We explain how this paradigm offers a useful approach to food waste prevention and reduction through a vignette of the lived experience of an Indigenous scholar.

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