Together We Can Feed More and Waste Less
 

Summer-- the time of year  when markets overflow with luscious local food, and weddings, graduations, and parties abound.  In this issue we offer tips on wasting less food at home and at catered events. CFR shares a new MoCo resource that helps us navigate toward food security. Read on for more. 
   10 Reasons You Might Think Food Has Gone Bad...
...when it is actually safe to eat.

Great tips on--whether to eat it or toss it for food safety and saving money.
How many times have you dug into your refrigerator and pondered whether that wilted lettuce, bruised peach, or moldy cheese was okay to eat? Author Maggie Angst gives you 10 things to remember when determining whether to eat it or toss it.

EPA offers  the Food: Too Good To Waste Toolkit (FTGTWT) for reducing wasting household food. You could reduce food waste by 50% or more and save more than $1,600 per year.
 
The Natural Resources Defense Council teamed up with the AdCouncil to create a fun and effective public education campaign, Savethefood.com.
 
Make Your Catered Event Even More Special
James at High Point Caterers shows off surplus food ready for donation to Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless.
When it comes to special occasions with catered meals, it's rare that someone leaves hungry. While abundance is reasonable in times of recognition and celebration, it's an unfortunate reality that catered events and food waste often go hand in hand.

It doesn't have to be that way. Community Food Rescue (CFR) provides catering companies - and the individuals and businesses who hire them - a proactive way to deal with food remaining after events.

Six CFR food donors are caterers:  Corcoran Caterers, Green Plate Catering, High Points Events, My Thyme Catering, Relish Catering, and Tropical Fusion. For these companies, sending excess food to food assistance organizations-like food pantries and shelters- - instead of to the landfill fits with their values and can save money.

Read more
 Farmers, Get Your Tax Credit Certification Here
Manna Food Center and CFR staff can now certify farmers food donations to qualify for a tax credit.
Farmers not only reap the economic fruits of their labor during summer and fall harvest, but under a three-year pilot program, growers in five Maryland counties, including  Montgomery County, can receive a Maryland Tax Credit for donating their surplus food.
    
Manna Food Center and CFR staff have become Certified Tax Credit Administrators under the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), which manages the program. This means that any CFR network or Manna donor that grows food in the five participating counties can have us submit the paperwork necessary to claim the tax credit

In the world of food security, FoodStat is a great navigational tool.
Many of us use navigation devices like Garmin, or web-based apps like Google Maps or Ways, to locate a new restaurant, find the shortest or quickest route between two places, or just find the closest gas station to our current location. These mapping tools have transformed the way we research and navigate our world geographically.
 
Now Montgomery County has created FoodStat. It's an easy-to-use, interactive data analysis website to help us reach our goal of everyone in Montgomery having access to healthy, affordable food.
 
 Read more
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