The Biden administration has released its first national strategy to address a major American problem: food waste.
About 30% One-third of the nation’s food is not eaten, but thrown away or wasted in other ways. In fact, food is the single largest material sent to landfills and incinerators in the United States. When uneaten food goes to a landfill, it decomposes and Generates the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions each year That includes dozens of coal-fired power plants, according to the federal government.
The White House strategy includes efforts to change the behavior of businesses and individuals to reduce waste, as well as funding research to extend the shelf life of perishable foods, expand food donations, and improve local infrastructure and policies to convert food waste into usable commodities such as compost, gasoline or animal feed.
“Everyone has a role to play in reducing food loss and waste, and I hope these federal commitments will inspire and catalyze action in the private sector and communities across the United States,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement released by the agency.
The strategy is not in line with food waste laws in other countries or even some U.S. states. It does not include any new regulations. Dana Gunders, director of ReFED, a research and advocacy group dedicated to addressing food waste, called the strategy a “good first step.”
The U.S. set a goal in 2015 to cut food waste in half by 2030. The strategy announced Wednesday aims to lay out a roadmap for achieving that goal.
Why is so much food left uneaten?
According to the latest data from ReFED, in 2021, the U.S. Production reached 91 million tons Unsold, uneaten food. Nearly half of it is still edible, but only 2% is donated.
ReFED research found that 20% of food is wasted at the farm level in the U.S. This could be because a grower can’t sell a batch of tomatoes at a high enough price, or the tomatoes don’t meet the size, shape or color specifications set by food retailers.
Shops, restaurants and industrial kitchens throw away food that they can’t sell. At home, many people discard food that’s still safe to eat, partly because of “best before” labels. Might be confusing And it doesn’t necessarily indicate when food has gone bad.
Some progress has been made in reducing food waste. Between 2019 and 2022, eight supermarket chains that made voluntary commitments to reduce food waste reported 25% decrease The total amount of unsold food.
In recent years, a number of startups have emerged to try to solve the waste problem. Artificial intelligence for espionage Knowing what’s going to be thrown away allows retailers to make better purchasing decisions. Apps offer budget-conscious shoppers deals on groceries and restaurant meals that are about to expire.
What do other countries do?
For more than 20 years, South Korea has banned throwing food or food scraps into the trash. Instead, food waste is used to make compost, animal feed or biogas.
France has a mandatory composting law, meaning municipalities must provide residents with ways to divert organic waste from landfills. In 2016, France became the first country to require supermarkets to donate safe food.
How do states handle this?
California has gone the furthest. Since 2022, the state has required grocery stores to donate rather than throw away “the maximum amount of edible food that would otherwise be discarded” or face fines. This year, large restaurants, hotels and hospital cafeterias were also subject to the law.
The bill also requires every city and county to reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfills by 75 percent by 2025, compared with 2014 levels. That means building more composting facilities or installing machines that produce biogas from organic waste.
A few other states have different laws.
Washington state requires grocery stores to donate food that is still safe to eat. Vermont requires residents to compost food. Maryland offers tax credits to farmers who donate edible food. Massachusetts limits the amount of food businesses can send to landfills. New York state Ask large food companies to donate excess edible food and “recycle” leftover scraps within 25 miles of a composting facility or anaerobic digester.
“Passing a national ban on organic waste will be difficult for a number of reasons, but I hope the federal government will provide more incentives for cities and states to pass such policies,” said Emily Broad Leib, director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School.
What is the White House’s plan?
The White House said it would fund research into technologies that could extend the shelf life of food, such as new seed varieties and packaging.
The government will also invest in research to measure the “effectiveness of different consumer messages in encouraging households to reduce food waste” and help pupils learn skills to prevent food waste, including in school canteens, which can be a huge source of food waste.
The agriculture agency said it also is working with farmers, crop insurance agents and others to reduce on-farm food losses.
