Zero Food Waste Coalition’s Post

So great to see the Fed government finally focusing on this issue we have been talking about for years. We should have incentives for companies to waste less and upcycle more, then we need to compost all post consumer food waste to avoid it going into landfill uselessly!! #upcycle #foodwaste #composting

In the U.S., nearly 40% of all food is wasted. That's an enormous waste of all the resources that went into producing, processing, transporting, and serving that food. And when food breaks down in landfills, it produces methane, contributing to global warming. To make matters worse, while all that food goes to waste, 1 in 8 U.S. households lack consistent access to food. Although businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, and many others are already taking huge strides to address this challenge, a massive acceleration is needed to reach our national goal of cutting food waste 50% by 2030. That’s why PIRG is urging Congress to prioritize food loss and waste in the upcoming farm bill through this open letter. This package of legislation has a tremendous impact on the food system—meaning it's an incredible opportunity to promote long-lasting solutions to the food waste crisis. We’re proud to join forces with the Zero Food Waste Coalition, as well as 70 businesses & organizations supporting this initiative. https://lnkd.in/eP_NuEpA

Food waste is a problem that requires numerous solutions, but the answers don't always have to be complicated or expansive. Our Strategic Projects and Waste Programs Manager Rose Benjamin highlighted a simple solution in a recent blog post: standardized date labels on packaged foods. We recently signed onto a letter penned by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) supporting the Food Date Labeling Act, a bill introduced as part of the 2024 Farm Bill. Research shows that confusion over date labels accounts for eight percent of consumer food waste, costing the country around $30 billion annually, according to PIRG, a nationwide, non-partisan advocacy organization and fellow Zero Food Waste Coalition member. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gRwWGzff

Yesterday, the Biden administration released a new strategy to combat food waste in the US! The strategy includes actions to help reduce food loss, reduce food waste, increase diversion, and "support policies that incentivize and encourage the prevention of food loss and waste and organics recycling." Check out the full strategy in the link below! #foodwaste #diversion #compost

In light of the Biden-Harris Administration's recent announcement of the National Strategy to Reduce Food Loss and Waste and Recycle Organics, I’m proud to share the strides we’re making at Too Good To Go in reducing food waste. This announcement marks a major step in achieving the administration’s goal to halve food waste by 2030, and further energizes our efforts. Specifically, Too Good To Go is championing essential food loss and waste provisions in the Farm Bill, and we need the support of Congress to make this happen. By endorsing the food waste provisions in @Senator Stabenow’s Farm Bill, we can solidify the partnership between the USDA, FDA, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and USAID. These provisions will pave the way for regional coordinators within the USDA, kickstart a national food waste education campaign, and foster collaboration among the USDA, EPA, and FDA. You can read more here: https://bit.ly/3VrMFTX. Public-private partnerships are essential, and we all have a role to play in reducing food waste. I invite you to join us and continue pushing forward, reducing food waste, and minimizing its environmental impact. Together, we can make a real difference. #FoodWaste #Sustainability #TooGoodToGo #FarmBill #ActNow

The Ohio State University is spearheading a $2.5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded initiative to reduce food loss and waste in the United States. Brian Roe, professor of food, agricultural and environmental sciences at Ohio State University, will oversee a pilot consumer campaign targeting household food-waste reduction. Roe plans to collaborate with Rutgers University to create educational messages and campaign materials. According to Roe, the campaign is part of the USDA's ongoing efforts to combat food waste, following significant investments, including $57 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. "About one-third of all food is never consumed," Roe pointed out. "This project will try to identify a campaign to help consumers reduce the amount of food they're wasting so that they can experience the benefits of saving more money and helping out the environment and supporting food security." Roe's research focuses on how human behavior contributes to food waste. He found confusion over food package dates causes unnecessary waste and implementing uniform national food-labeling standards could greatly reduce discarded food. Roe noted the effort aligns with both interagency and international initiatives to reduce food waste. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack announced the renewal of an agreement to reduce food loss and waste, now including USAID in the effort. The collaboration emphasizes a unified commitment to educating Americans about the issue. Additionally, the #USDA has expanded the U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions, involving industry leaders dedicated to cutting food waste in half by 2030. Roe stressed consumer behavior plays a vital role, noting using leftovers can save both money and time while contributing to overall waste reduction. "Consumers throughout the country and in Ohio, being able to creatively use their leftovers," Roe urged. "You spend a lot of money and time creating great meals that then oftentimes sit in the refrigerator and then end up in the garbage because you might not have been able to find a way to incorporate it into a future meal." The U.S. sends nearly $80 billion pounds of food to municipal solid-waste landfills annually, making food the largest category of material in landfills. The waste emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas, contributing to environmental harm. Roe added addressing food waste, especially at the household level, is critical to reduce emissions and improve the efficiency of food systems. Disclosure: Ohio State University contributes to our fund for reporting on Arts and Culture, Environment, and Social Justice. 

We're pleased to see the Biden-Harris Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics, recently published in a joint effort by the USDA, EPA, and FDA and released at COP28 in December. In addition to prioritizing food loss and waste reduction in their overall approach to fighting climate change, the strategy underscores the importance of creating a more efficient and equitable food system. The strategy features four broad objectives to drive progress toward the national goal of reducing U.S. food loss and waste by 50% by 2030, including preventing food loss and waste, increasing recycling of organic waste, and supporting policy changes to achieve these objectives. Learn more about the draft plan and why we care about it in a blog by our Waste Programs Manager, Rose Benjamin: https://ow.ly/rT3Q50QnBj7

Big News for Food Loss and Waste Reduction! Did you know? Up to 40% of food in the U.S. goes unsold or uneaten, costing $473 billion in 2022 alone to grow, process, transport, and dispose of the food that was never eaten. The Farm Bill governs an array of agricultural and food programs in the United States, offering a unique opportunity to build on successful pilot programs from 2018 and invest in reducing food loss and waste. In April 2024, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of the Senate Agriculture Committee unveiled a comprehensive proposal for the Farm Bill. The proposal includes key bipartisan food waste provisions to combat food loss and waste. Here’s what the Senate’s proposal includes: 🌱 Making the Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction pilot program permanent and expanding eligibility to states. 👥 Establishing regional coordinators for food loss and waste reduction within the USDA. 📢 Launching a national food waste education and public awareness campaign with $2 million a year for five years. 🤝 Requiring USDA collaboration with EPA and FDA to reduce food loss and waste. 🔬 Prioritizing research on food loss and waste prevention and reduction technologies. ✅ Expanding the Agricultural Marketing Service's authority to verify food production processes that reduce waste. Provisions like this help drive the development of technologies like Betafeld’s MatLoop. Let's support the Farm Bill initiatives to create a more sustainable future! #Betafeld #MatLoop #FoodWasteReduction #FarmBill #Sustainability #FoodWaste #AI4Good

What is the U.S. Food Waste Pact? Led by national nonprofit partners ReFED and World Wildlife Fund, the U.S. Food Waste Pact is aligned around the global framework of “Target, Measure, Act” to help food businesses reduce waste within their operations through: Measurement and annual reporting of food waste data to the Pact. Participation in working groups to drive pre-competitive collaboration across the value chain. Participation in pilot projects to test, implement, and scale cost-effective and high-impact food waste solutions. The U.S. Food Waste Pact builds on the success of the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment – a public-private partnership between food businesses and jurisdictions along the West Coast of the United States to cut food waste in the region by half – and has also been inspired by similar global initiatives, including the Courtauld Commitment in the U.K. and Pacto Por La Comida in Mexico – all of which have demonstrated the benefits of businesses working together to achieve sustainability goals.

Thank you, Nena Shaw, for sharing this groundbreaking milestone in the circular economy currently being built by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I'm excited to see the EPA take steps to build a (comprehensive) circular economy. Here are some thoughts on one of the outlined challenges outlined and one I believe is missing. Outlined challenge: Insufficient infrastructure and planning Throughout the US, too many grocers, restaurant owners, consumers, distributors, and manufacturers don't have access to a facility, let alone within 50 miles. In addition, waste haulers (e.g. WM, Republic Services, local ones) aren't earning enough to cart organics to a facility beyond 50 miles; it's simply too expensive. The funds outlined in pp. 20-21 are critical for moving the needle forward for downstream waste handlers to recycle upstream producers' food waste. Missing challenge: Limited commitment [to reducing food loss and waste] This is more of a modification to "Limited outreach and education." No grocer, restaurant owner, consumer, distributor, or manufacturer intentionally wastes food. • They lose money. • it's inconvenient because of slowed-down operations and/or their everyday lives. • It hurts their reputation. • It increases financial risks due to all the categorized impacts in a lifecycle assessment (LCA). Food loss and waste sucks. Period. But, on the flip side, grocers, restaurant owners, consumers, distributors, and manufacturers are *very* busy. In fact, each restaurant owner I've interviewed, not to mention farmer or rancher, has mentioned "mental stamina" and is working 6-7 days per week, often relying on enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to make their lives easier. Even with ERP, they still work 6-7 days per week. So much for point of sale (POS) saving us! The strategic actions outlined in objectives 1 & 2 are wonderful, especially those focused on artificial intelligence and data science. However, they won't be enough unless they include training and education and account for time and effort on daily operations.