Towards a cohesive circular food economy: An MOA approach to understanding stakeholder perspectives in Metro Vancouver

Over half of the food produced in Canada is lost or wasted leading to negative environmental impacts and rising levels of food insecurity. The circular food economy (CFE) has been proposed by stakeholders and policymakers as a potential framework to solve the food waste issue through a variety of business and non-profit food-related waste reduction and prevention initiatives. This research asks: How do individuals working in the food sector mobilize CFE practices within their work?; and what are the motivations, opportunities and abilities influencing those working in the CFE sector in Metro Vancouver? To answer these questions, this research analyzed interview data from food sector stakeholders (n=22) who are contributing to the CFE in Metro Vancouver. This study applies the Motivation Opportunity Ability (MOA framework) as a framework for data analysis. The findings from this study indicate that there are conflicting priorities to CFE approaches in Metro Vancouver, leading to a lack of cohesion among initiatives and barriers to a more equitable CFE.