USDA Food Loss and Waste News
Learn about the latest news and resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on preventing food loss and waste. Sign up for updates on www.usda.gov/foodlossandwaste.
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USDA Releases Food Loss and Waste Resources in Spanish
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USDA is making several Spanish-language video resources available to consumers. These videos share advice on how to reduce food waste through planning, serving smart, using leftovers, and composting uneaten food. These include:
USDA Announces New Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program
USDA Rural Development (RD) announces the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program. The Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program is a part of USDA’s Build Back Better initiative to strengthen critical supply chains and our food system. This program guarantees loans of up to $40 million for qualified lenders (banks, credit unions, CDFIs, loan funds, and others) to finance food systems projects, specifically for the start-up or expansion of activities in the middle of the food supply chain. The program will support new investments in infrastructure for food aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling, and distribution to increase capacity and create a more resilient, diverse, and secure U.S. food supply chain. For example, proposals could be for added refrigerated storage in food banks and pantries. Learn more about RD’s Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program.
New EPA Funding Opportunity on Consumer Food Waste Research
Deadline: February 9, 2022
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing research to develop, apply, and test innovative and creative community-engaged approaches to reduce household food waste in the United States. Applicants should propose a research project that addresses research areas such as the U.S. food environment, consumer behavior, and leveraging research findings and technology to support consumers in food waste reduction. For information on eligibility, project specifications, or how to apply, visit: Research to Reduce Consumer Food Waste in the United States Request for Applications (RFA). EPA will also host a January 6 webinar on the funding opportunity.
EPA Releases New Report on Food Waste
Each year, the resources attributed to U.S. food loss and waste are equivalent to 664 billion kWh energy – enough to power more than 50 million U.S. homes for a year. This is one takeaway from a new EPA report, Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste (Part 1). The report reveals the climate and environmental impacts of producing, processing, distributing, and retailing food that ultimately gets wasted. It also projects the environmental benefits of meeting the U.S. goal to prevent 50 percent of food waste by 2030. A companion report, scheduled for Spring 2022, will look at the environmental impacts of different management pathways for food waste, such as landfilling, composting, and anaerobic digestion. Together, these two reports cover the net environmental footprint of U.S. food loss and waste.
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New Statewide Organic Waste Collection Program in California
Starting in January 2022, the state of California will requires every jurisdiction to provide organic waste collection services to all residents and businesses. The mandate is part of the state’s broad-based effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Landfills are the third largest source of methane in California. Organic material -- such as food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard -- make up half of what Californians dump in landfills. The new state law seeks to reduce organic waste disposal 50% by 2020 and 75% by 2025. Through this new mandatory collection program, jurisdictions will compost the waste or turn it into biogas rather than deposit it in landfills. Beginning in January, supermarkets, distributors, wholesalers, and food service providers will be required to donate excess food through arrangements with food recovery organizations and services. Learn more about California’s new program.
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