As the final echoes of laughter fade from the Midway and the iconic scent of fried foods leaves the air, the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is closing out its 2025 season with a gesture aimed at community care and environmental responsibility.
On Tuesday, the CNE will collaborate with Second Harvest – Canada’s Largest food charity – and participating food vendors to launch a large-scale “food rescue” initiative that will see more than 25,000lbs of surplus foods donated to communities in need.
A variety of produce, canned goods, and leftover prepared foods accumulated over the fair’s 18-day run will be loaded into a Second Harvest truck on the Exhibition grounds and distributed to families across the GTHA and surrounding communities.
“As Canada’s largest community event, the CNE recognizes its responsibility to the community to ensure that any waste it produces, during its 18-day event, including food surplus, can be offset to promote a circular economy,” the CNE said in a news release Tuesday.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., staff, volunteers, and more than 30 food vendors will gather at the north-side loading doors of the CNE Food Building to donate and reduce food waste.
The second annual “food rescue” initiative takes place just one day after the 2025 CNE ended. This year, the fair ran from Aug. 15 to Sept. 1.
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Additionally, the “food rescue” initiative builds on the fair’s ongoing sustainability efforts. Over the past year, the CNE has evaluated opportunities to set measurable goals to significantly reduce waste.
Last year, nearly 30 food vendors participated in the organized food donation, packing a truckload full of food to feed families around the GTHA and beyond, according to the CNE.
“This year (as of Aug. 29) the CNE has diverted more than 25 metric tonnes of waste from landfills, as a result of its sustainability efforts,” according to the CNE.
Since 2008, the CNE has introduced various initiatives to maintain its commitment to sustainability, including organic recycling, solar panels, the elimination of Styrofoam packaging, and the introduction of an Oscar AI machine to help guests sort waste.
Nearly 1.5 million people visited the 2024 CNE, surpassing pre-pandemic attendance in 2019. Official attendance figures for the 2025 CNE have yet to be announced.
