Gay Lea Foods to provide 3.6 million meals to food insecure Canadians through expanded partnership with Second Harvest

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited ("Gay Lea Foods") today announced it has partnered with Second Harvest, Canada's largest food rescue organization, to address two of the most urgent challenges facing Canadians today: food insecurity and food waste.

As part of a three-year, $1.2 million charitable commitment, the Canadian dairy farmer-owned co-operative will help Second Harvest recover and redistribute surplus, nutritious food to communities in need. The partnership will provide the equivalent of 3.6 million meals to Canadians facing food insecurity across the country in the next 36 months.

"Gay Lea Foods has a long history of supporting Canadian communities, and we are proud to deepen our commitment through this transformative national partnership with Second Harvest," said Suzanna Dalrymple, President & CEO, Gay Lea Foods. "Together, we can help put good food on more plates and reduce the amount of edible food ending up in landfills across our country."

Second Harvest rescues good, surplus food from across the supply chain and redistributes it to a network of more than 5,000 non-profits across the country in pursuit of their mission: No Waste. No Hunger. Last year alone, the organization rescued more than 87 million pounds of food.

The partnership between Second Harvest and Gay Lea Foods began in 1997, when the co-operative first began providing surplus product for redistribution as part of Second Harvest's Food Rescue program. 

"This expanded partnership with Gay Lea Foods shows just how much impact purpose-driven businesses can have," said Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest. "By providing both funding and surplus product, Gay Lea Foods is helping us get nutritious, high-quality food — like dairy — into communities that really need it, while also keeping good food out of landfills."

Today's announcement marks a significant step forward in the partnership between Gay Lea Foods and Second Harvest. In addition to its financial contribution, Gay Lea Foods will send even more surplus product from production sites across Canada to non-profit organizations through Second Harvest. This deepened collaboration will help ensure nutritious dairy products reach the communities that need them most, while reducing food waste and supporting families facing food insecurity.