Canadian Grade 7 student Wesley Goodridge wins gold medal and $10,000 scholarship for project testing if milk is really spoiled

Wesley Goodridge, a Grade 7 student from Ontario, has won a gold medal and a $10,000 university scholarship at the 2026 Canada-Wide Science Fair for a project investigating whether science can help people determine if milk is actually spoiled.

His project, Test Before You Toss, explores the use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as an indicator of microbial activity in milk, potentially offering consumers another way to judge freshness beyond best-before dates and traditional smell or taste checks. His research looks at whether science can help consumers determine if milk is still fresh instead of relying only on a best-before date or their senses.

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A trip to Rome inspired the Canadian student's project

Goodridge’s interest in food waste began during a trip to Rome with his father, Lawrence Goodridge, a food professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Guelph.

According to the Wellington Advertiser, the student noticed a large display about food waste in a cafeteria during the trip. The experience made him think about how much food may be discarded simply because people do not know whether it is still safe or usable.

Science was already familiar territory for Goodridge because of his father’s work in food safety. But the idea eventually led him to focus on something found in refrigerators across the country: milk.

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How Wesley Goodridge tested milk freshness

For Test Before You Toss, Goodridge investigated whether adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, could be used as an indicator of biological activity in milk.

ATP is found in living cells, including microorganisms. Measuring ATP can therefore provide an indication of microbial activity in a sample.

Rather than simply asking whether milk smells bad or checking the date printed on its container, Goodridge’s project explores whether a scientific measurement could provide consumers with additional information about freshness.

The approach is particularly interesting because a best-before date does not automatically mean a food has become unsafe. Yet uncertainty can make people more likely to throw it away.

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The project could help tackle food waste

The idea behind the Canadian student's research is straightforward: give people more information before they toss food.

If a practical test could indicate the condition of milk more accurately, it could potentially help reduce unnecessary waste. Goodridge’s work takes an everyday decision — whether to keep or discard milk — and turns it into a measurable scientific question.

His experiments have already included milk with three different fat percentages, allowing him to examine how milk composition affects the results.

The project is still developing, but Goodridge has also considered whether a photo-based app could eventually make the technology easier for consumers to use outside a laboratory.

Goodridge takes his project to Canada's national science fair

Goodridge presented Test Before You Toss at the 2026 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton, held from May 23 to 30.

The event brought together student researchers from across Canada, giving the Grade 7 student an opportunity to present his work on a national stage.

His project was supported by the Canadian Black Scientists Network following his success at regional science fairs.

With a gold medal, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Challenge Award and a $10,000 university scholarship, Goodridge has already made an impressive mark at a young age.

His next goal is to keep developing the research and explore whether the idea could eventually have applications beyond milk.