When I was seventeen I spent four months volunteering and living with families in South East Asia. That experience shaped my world view and awakened my understanding of the true value of food and the need for food recovery. I was struck by the excess, abundance and waste when returning to the US.
My obsession with keeping food out of the trash began in college.
I remember vividly the day I witnessed tray after tray of food being dumped down the garbage disposal in the cafeteria. I developed a habit of eating my friend’s pizza crusts and other leftovers from their plates. This resulted in me gaining twenty five pounds and I realized I needed to develop a better solution.
I spent the next 3 years developing a food recovery group on campus. We recovered excess food from 10 businesses each evening, from the dining hall on campus twice each day, and we had 45 students involved in food recover efforts by my senior year. Our excess was helping to feed 500 people in the Bronx every day. This experience prompted me to found FoodShift, a project of the Earth Island Institute, in August 2011.
Wasting More Than Just Food
Food recovery groups like Food Shift exist all across the country and yet the problems of hunger and food waste persist; they are in fact more heightened than ever before. 40% of all the food produced in the US is wasted while one out of every six Americans is food insecure. We are producing more than enough food to feed everyone yet 50 million Americans don’t have adequate access to food!
Each time food goes uneaten, so do all the resources that went into producing, processing, packaging, and transporting that food too. You can learn more about the environmental impacts of wasted food here. And then there is the financial cost. Americans are throwing out the equivalent of $165 billion each year in food and it is costing $750 million per year for disposal.
Food Shift’s Vision for Food Recovery
What if businesses and municipalities were to shift just a fraction of these funds towards the recovery and redistribution of edible food instead? What if we were to invest in the creation of a professionalized food recovery service sector as an extension of our current waste management system and as an opportunity to create jobs in the green economy? This is Food Shift’s vision.
This is a realistic strategy that can begin to tackle the largest component of our waste stream and move us closer to our zero waste targets. Rather than investing in waste disposal, we need to invest in and replicate models that ensure good food is eaten and not sent to the landfill, where it decomposes into methane which is 23 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Volunteer food recovery programs that provide a free service, depend on volunteer commitments and have limited financial support are not equipped to handle the national food waste crisis alone. Additionally, distributing emergency food assistance is important but it does not tackle the economic disadvantage that leads to hunger in the first place. Rather than perpetuate and grow these models that clearly have limitations, we need to develop models that have the potential to reduce waste, generate revenue, and create green jobs.
The Food Waste Business
Food Shift is piloting a few such strategies in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul. We’re determined to find a grocer or market partner who is keen to reduce their environmental footprint and find an outlet for their excess food. Food Shift’s food recovery service is a way for businesses to cut waste disposal costs, reduce wasted food, help the community, increase overall sustainability and play a key role in developing this critical service sector. Food Shift’s programs will employ individuals from St. Vincent’s job training program in food recovery and in the creation of a low-cost market and value-added products.
Incorporating a revenue-generation model into food recovery gives it the potential to expand and increase impact both from the waste reduction side and the employment side. Food Shift is a laboratory, committed to piloting models that can keep more food out of landfills and feed more people. There is no reason that in a country of such abundance anyone should be hungry and there is no reason that we should be allowing any food to go to waste.
Join the movement to reduce food waste through food recovery by signing the pledge at www.foodshift.net and please let me know your ideas for preventing good food from going to waste.
I think this article is very inspiring. I find it very unsettling that 40% of food goes to waste in America, but this model of food redistribution shows that there is a viable solution out there.
My college cafeteria would compost leftover food scraps and I always thought that was ‘good enough.’ I am starting to recognize the difference between scraps that can be composted and the large amounts of edible food that could easily be used to feed other people.
If Dana’s campus group was able to feed 500 people in the Bronx everyday from the excess food from only 10 businesses, I can only imagine the number of people that could be fed if every college campus had a food recovery system.
I am looking forward to seeing the success that FoodShift will have and hope they continue to educate people about their mission.
Thank you! Not only is the amount of wasted food unsettling, the increasing number of people seeking food assistance is jaw dropping. 35 years ago there were 400 food assistance organizations –now there are more than 40,000. Despite these efforts, food waste and hunger are at the highest levels of all time.
We want to go way beyond ‘good enough’ and fundamentally change the food recovery sector in a way that reduces wasted food, creates jobs AND feeds the hungry. And yes! Education is the first step! Check out our “Reduce your Waste” section on our website (link above) for tips and tools. And please keep checking back for our comprehensive resources page which has books, articles, videos and apps about the problem of food waste and how to solve it! (coming soon)
Great post, and gives me hope for the new generation of waste watchers.
This is clearly an idea that’s gaining traction. Our college dining hall has an arrangement to donate leftover food from catered functions directly to a nearby community soup kitchen. I am aware of another campus-based system, the Food Recovery Network (www.foodrecoverynetwork.org), and Westchester County has sponsored a series of Food Rescue forums to help businesses and other organizations link up with food banks and people in need. But as Dana points out, FoodShift goes one step further by creating jobs rather than rely entirely on volunteers. This is a great model that closes another “loop” in the system. As with pollution and carbon emissions, the “externalities” of food waste are too often ignored and their costs (environmental, economic, social) are silently borne by society. Time to factor them in, build a better system, and compensate workers who help to shift the food to beneficial uses.
By the way, as a card-carrying member of the “clean plate club,” I identify with Dana’s early impulse of personally consuming food that would otherwise go to waste. For me, the silver lining of power outages is the obligation to eat all the ice cream in the freezer before it melts. 🙂
Thanks so much! We love to inspire hope!! 🙂
And college recovery programs are fabulous– we know the folks over at FRN and love what they’re doing. There’s so many ways that people can get involved in reducing food waste in their communities, homes and schools. We’re also working on a program with Oakland Unified School District to create a food recovery program that returns surplus food to the students and their families.
And we couldn’t agree more that it’s time for businesses to really support the triple-bottom line approach- caring about People and the Planet just as much as (monetary) Profit. We believe our vision of a compensated food recovery sector addresses all three- creating jobs, saving resources and increasing profits as people support businesses dedicated to reducing food waste and compensating workers.
Dana, very happy to read about the work Food Shift is doing. As an environmental science student in college, I took many classes concerning ecological agriculture, all concluding that the majority of food security issues have very little do to with food production, but more so with food distribution. We currently produce more than enough food to feed every human on the planet, but our infrastructure to distribute it to the mouths that need it the most is in need of serious TLC. Organizations like yours are exactly what we need to fix the real problems at hand, not just the symptoms of the disease. If we place greater efforts on improving food distribution, not only will we reduce food waste and create green jobs, but we can alleviate many of the pressures that mistakenly lead us to employing environmentally harmful industrialized agricultural practices. Small scale, organic farming operations are capable of producing comparable yields to their industrialized counterparts (http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4060). One of the biggest issues that has prevented food redistribution from getting off the ground is its ability to generate revenue. I wish you nothing but luck in the development of revenue-generating methods of redistribution.
I empathize with your urge to clean the plates of those around you to avoid letting perfectly good food go to waste. The first university I attended had a buffet style dinning system where students were given a weekly meal allowance and could “eat” as much as they wanted per meal. The amount of wasted food in systems like these is astounding. So many students’ eyes were hungrier than their stomachs resulting in trays of food going untouched and straight to the trash. Having transferred after my first year, the system at my new university resulted in far less food ending up in the trash. Students paid for every item on their plate and were more conscious of budgeting their meal plan money resulting in less food being wasted. Thank you for your efforts with Food Shift and best of luck moving forward.
Yes! That’s a great point. We do currently produce enough food to feed everyone but tied up in the issue of distribution is systemic oppression and lack of access among different populations and communities. This is why creating jobs is crucial to really challenging the causes of hunger, not just the symptoms as you so rightly stated. (and why food justice is integrally connected to economic justice and social justice.)
When I think of food waste, I think of the mammoth proportions that are doled out in restaurants. I always joke when I get one of these plates that “I could feed 3 of me from this plate”, but it is true. What if restaurants were to serve up a healthy portion? We could reduce both our waste and our waist. Do you work with restaurants or have plans to?
Funny how we’re all talking about restaurant food waste in particular! I guess we all have a pretty good handle on food waste at home?
About restaurant food waste, Mary, I do think restaurants could serve up a healthy portion. It’s called half portions and it could be served up at a reduced price. I had an idea for a ‘eat half here/ eat half later’ portion… then restaurants wouldn’t feel as if they were losing money and I’m sure a number of diners would appreciate the benefits of not having to cook later. What do you all think?
I like the idea of ‘eat half here/eat half later’ portions, but I am concerned about the waste that is created from the containers required to take out the ‘eat half later’ portion. I take my own reusable “to-go” container to restaurants for my leftovers, but I feel that I am in the minority.
I like the idea of ‘eat half here/ eat half later’ portion, but my concern is the waste that is created from the “to-go” containers required to take the ‘eat half later’ with you. I carry a reusable “to-go” container with me when I go out to eat, but I think I may be in the minority.
@ Mary and @Jacquie, Wasted food occurs at all levels of the food chain and restaurant food waste is an important one to address. Dana Gunders from Natural Resources Defense Council did a great report that talks about each level of food loss and restaurant’s lost about 86 billion pounds of food in 2008. That’s 19% of the total retail food losses, and retail accounts for about 13% of total food loss. (The report is called “Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food From Farm to Fork to Landfill.” Check it out!)
I love the idea of focusing on using restaurant leftovers for later meals! The half idea is a great one and
we are actually working on a program in partnership with Satisfeito which will offer smaller portion sizes for restaurant patrons while also generating donations for nonprofits working to reduce hunger. You can read more about it on our website under the “Programs” button. There’s several other great programs also tackling restaurant waste- Go Halfsies in Austin, TX and Give Half in NYC, both with similar ideas to Jacquie’s.
Kelly,
Thanks for pointing out Dana Gunder’s report on Food Waste (and for all your comments up here.) Just so you know — and for anyone else reading this, Dana Gunders herself contributed a post for us (http://www.wehatetowaste.com/empty-your-refrigerator.) We put a reference to the report at the end of that post and also included it in our ‘store’ (http://wehatetowaste.com/store ). We love that report on WeHateToWaste!
It was also referenced in other posts on our site, including Fredrica Rudell’s post: http://www.wehatetowaste.com/leave-the-gun-take-the-cannoli-and-the-bread-basket . Anyone interested in creative ideas for eradicating food waste should check out other posts submitted by Fredrica. (Simply search in the search box, upper right corner.) And more are coming! (I’m the editor in chief and top food waste hater!) – Jacquie
Mary, great point. A huge part of this whole food waste problem is all the packaging that gets wasted along with it. Taking leftovers home is great but what about all that packaging? The packaging issue is a big problem even within the food recovery space too. Food Runners in San Francisco is recovering and redistributing over 15 tons of food each week (amazing!) but most of that food is packaged in aluminum trays that are used once and then tossed. That’s a lot of waste! We need to think about how we can tackle this issue in truly sustainable ways. That is one reason I’m so inspired by Boulder Food Rescue who is doing food recovery by bicycle. Thanks for being part of the conversation!
Fifteen tons of food is a large doggie bag dilemma! I see that the video on the Food Recovery Network site shows students transferring donated dining hall food from serving trays to reusable see-through containers. I assume that they pick up the “empties” later (or on the next trip). Foil containers may make more sense if food needs re-heating. But perhaps they, too, could be washed and re-used (and eventually recycled), if appropriate facilities are available.
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/20/expired_food_is_good_for_you_a_supermarket_execs_bold_business_gamble/
Hi Roger,
Thanks for posting the story about the “Daily Table” grocery store that is opening in Dorchester, MA to sell and re-purpose surplus or cosmetically imperfect food so low to middle income families can increase their access to nutritious food. I think its a brilliant idea that will not only provide jobs but allow for a financially sustainable and scaleable model to emerge that could be replicated to reduce food waste and increase access to food for those who need it the most.
Dana your idea for Food Shift is incredible! The numbers that people are talking about (86 BILLION pounds of lost food?! 40% of all food wasted?!) are really shocking, and even more shocking is the amount of people you’ve already been able to feed just with salvaged food. You made a fantastic point about how wasting food involves more than just the food you’re throwing out, it involves every resource that went into its production. So by throwing away a piece of beef, you might was well just dump the water and food it took to raise that cow, the gas it took to transport it to your grocery store, and the land that was used to build the farm it was raised on. That’s something I’ve never really thought about before (and it’s a pretty scary thought at that)! When I used to work at Whole Foods we would collect perfectly edible food items that were “damaged” and unable to be sold (a box of individually wrapped granola bars with one missing, for example) and donate them to a local shelter. It was a really great initiative, and its so wonderful to hear that you are helping this happen on a much grander scale. Saving this food from being thrown out can help the the world in so many ways–crops can be used more for human food and less for factory-farmed animal food (which will also mean cutting down less land for farms), food will be kept out of our landfills (and methane out of the air), and most importantly, people won’t go hungry. Its a web of infinite wins!
Gianna,
What a great initiative. It’s amazing how many grocery stores will just throw out a package that is “damaged” but still perfectly edible. There are so many resources (water, land, energy etc) that are also wasted in conjunction with food waste. So we definitely agree that reducing food waste is most definitely a web of infinite wins! That’s such a perfect way to put it.
I’m with you, Andrea. Recently while shopping in my local grocery store (Gristede’s) I saw the store manager on his knees in front of the dairy section emptying several packages of Kraft singles into one of those plastic milk crates. When I queried, he said they were all beyond the sell-by date and he was getting them ready to send back to the vendor. When I asked if I could take a couple (Ok call me a dumpster diver!), he said no, as he would be getting credit from Kraft.
I was astounded at not only what would be thrown out, but by the amount of energy and other resources it would take to send them all back to be counted for credit, when they could have at a minimum be thrown out if they had to be and simply given the credit based upon the honor system. So, a double waste if I ever heard one!
Am heartened to learn of Doug Rauch’s (founder of Trader Joe’s) upcoming Daily Table store in which he intends to sell ‘expired’ but still edible food. Here’s a link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/magazine/doug-rauch-wants-to-sell-outdated-food-at-junk-food-prices.html?_r=0
I like that you brought up the fact that composting is not enough. I am lucky to live on a college campus where my food waste is composted, which I always thought was “good enough”. But now I am left wondering where the uneaten food in the dining halls ends up going. I know of student run food rescue programs that collects unsold food from Boston area restaurants to give to food pantries and soup kitchens, but I wonder if there is enough being done about this issue on campus. It would be a shame to think that the university is just disposing of perfectly good food that could be used to feed the numerous hungry people right in the city.
Hi Katherine,
Thanks for your note. Have you heard of Food Recovery Network? They’re a great campus oriented food recovery group that is expanding rapidly across the country. Back in college I started a campus food program at Sarah Lawrence College (Video here: http://www.yesmagazine.org/multimedia/yes-video/dana-frasz-youth-and-foodbanks) Groups like this exist all across the country yet the problems of hunger and food waste persist and are in fact more heightened than ever before. The old models based on volunteers and charities are not financially sustainable or scalable and can’t adequately meet the demand of this current crisis.
Food Shift is developing a fee-for-service food recovery model that will reduce waste, generate revenue and provide jobs – much like our other waste management systems like trash and recycling.
We’d love for you to join our community by signing up for our newsletter: http://is.gd/W7I82c
And make a donation if you can: http://foodshift.net/donate/
What an excellent initiative to start! I too was often shocked at the amount of food my classmates would throw out. It’s understandable how they had leftovers in the buffet-like dining hall setting. I don’t think students are even aware of how much they waste, and not just in college. This kind of an organization might also consider focusing on grade schools, where children often throw out their healthy meal requirements like milk or fruit. I know it doesn’t go as far as needed, but at the very least compost bins should be more prevalent in schools.
It seems like major cities have methods of coping with the food waste in restaurants and groceries. I only know of Philabundance in Philadelphia and City Harvest in NYC to base that speculation off of, however those two seem to be successful enterprises in reducing food waste. I think part of the problem of waste is also how far food travels to get to the grocery stores. Food recovery is only one aspect of reducing waste. There needs to be more of a shift towards local food sources so it is fresher when it arrives at the markets, and therefore lasts longer.
I also want to share a TV special on the Food Network that I saw called The Big Waste (http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/channels/the-big-waste.html). In the special, chefs investigate the food waste habits of grocers and restaurants in NYC, show some alternatives, and then create a gourmet feast out of “expired” or damaged food.
Dana Frasz,
It’s great to know that you are doing great work very close to where I live (Sacramento). I am also passionate about food waste (or rather, reducing food waste).
I wonder if you have engaged with farmer’s to get them to contribute to your organization? For instance, much of the food produced on farms is thrown away – mainly because it does not meet the ‘appearance’ standards for supermarkets. *This is another issue to note: food should not be wasted because it doesn’t look perfect (ie. shape, spots, etc.), and hopefully laws about food quality will come to focus on that, quality, instead of appearance.*
Another great organization I’ve become familiar with is the Gleaning Network (UK). At a food waste conference in Athens, Greece, I listened to someone from Gleaning speak about their campaign ‘Feeding the 5k’. They get volunteers to gather the left-over fruits and veggies on farms that would otherwise end up in landfills, and distribute the food to people in need. Here is their website: http://www.feeding5k.org/gleaning.php
Thanks for your post