Vancouver catering — city of Vancouver from the air

Sustainability and Safety

Recycle, Re-Use, Compost

At Pacific Coast Catering we pride ourselves on doing our part when it comes to sustainability practices.

New clients often ask us what we do with the leftovers and other waste that inevitably accumulate at the end of any event and in our production kitchen. The answer to that question can be summed up in just three words: recycle, re-use, compost.

Less than 20%

Less than twenty percent of our waste becomes garbage. What happens to the 80%? Leftover food that is still safe to eat according to FoodSafe guidelines goes to a food mission in the Downtown Eastside. What happens if it is still packaged? We give to a food redistribution centre.

We collect all paper, glass, metal and plastic waste for recycling. After that, we give refundable pop and juice containers to charitable groups.

Anything that may be safely cleaned – such as plates, other tableware and metal flatware – is thoroughly cleaned and re-used.

Support for BC

Above all, we plan all events carefully. That means that our goal is to minimize waste and make sure all fruit and vegetable waste from events and from our kitchens ends up as compost.

For our corporate drop-off services, 90% of the containers we deliver are compostable. The remaining 10% are recyclable.

Furthermore, we support BC’s food producers by sourcing our fresh ingredients locally, whenever possible.

Pacific Coast Catering Food Donations 2023

Giving It Away

Our first choice is always to give away leftover and unused food. Of course, we do within the context of FoodSafe guidelines.

One of our local partners is @vancouver_food_runners, a food recovery organization that distributes food for meal programs, hampers and direct to clients.

We're committed both to supporting our local community and reducing waste. Our partnership with Vancouver Food Runners is just one of the ways we do that.

The graphic above shows what we were able to do in 2023 with just this one organization.

Check out other ways we give back here .

Food Safety

We take it seriously

Our staff are trained and monitored for FoodSafe guidelines. All food supplies are tracked for freshness and safety. Prepared food is packaged and transported so as to maintain safe temperature zones. This also helps to ensure the best appearance, taste and texture when you’re ready to eat it.