Dartmouth-based Outcast Foods has partnered with SportChek in a deal that makes the sports retailer Outcast's biggest national retail partner and puts Outcast products in 150 SportChek stores across Canada.
Outcast uses misfit, unsellable or cast-off produce and turns it into sustainable, nutrient-dense food for wholesale, retail and consumer use, preserving nutrients and extending shelf life to three years. Their direct-to-consumer products are plant-based, gluten-free protein powders, vitamins and super greens.
"SportChek is a great Canadian retailer and a pillar in communities across the country,” said Outcast CEO Darren Burke in a statement. “Their support in our novel technology, unique product offerings, and in making important sustainable decisions matches our whole reason for existing."
The SportChek partnership is the latest for Outcast Foods which last year announced various new relationships, including agreements with three companies in the pet industry to use Outcast Foods' dehydrated fruit and vegetable ingredients in their products. The intention is to cut food waste and lessen environmental impact -- feeding pets, for example, is said to create over 70 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.
The company also announced it was working with Sobeys to minimize food waste in its Debert, Nova Scotia distribution center and various Nova Scotia stores. Surplus fruits and vegetables are turned into Plant Strong Protein products, which are sold in Sobeys’ stores.
“The days of sending edible food to the landfill are coming to an end thanks to our upcycling process that uses multiple innovations from machine learning to a novel high-efficiency drying invention,” Burke said at the time.
The company also teamed up with Toronto's Greenhouse, an organic beverage company. The agreement sees Outcast upcycling pulp byproduct from Greenhouse’s juice processing operation to produce dried fruit and vegetable powders.
“With more uncertainty in our food supply chain now than ever, it’s critical to find ways to reduce food waste; upcycling Greenhouse’s pulp will provide high quality North American fruit and vegetable powders that will end up in delicious and sustainable new products,” TJ Galiardi, Outcast Foods' Co-Founder said.
