Latest news with #FoodRecoveryNetwork
Forbes
28-03-2025
- General
- Forbes
We've Raised Awareness About Food Waste. It's Time For Action.
After preparing a meal, an eater makes compost from the food scraps. Over the years, the conversations we've been having about food waste have changed. At first, it was an effort to raise awareness that food waste was actually happening and worth addressing! And organizations across the food system have been very active in measuring the scale of food waste—because having that data is a crucial step toward solving these challenges. Right now, we're in a place where folks who are engaged in the food system probably know that both in the United States and internationally, about one-third of food goes uneaten. And if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, just behind China and the United States. I think ReFED Executive Director Dana Gunders is right about a lot of things, of course, but I think she's especially spot-on when she says that we've built up a status quo in the food system where discussions about food waste must be a 'standard part of any sustainable food conversation.' At this point, all our discussions about food waste have to include a focus on empowering people to take action—and arming them with the resources to do so! There are more grassroots organizations, startups, and innovators focused on creative food waste solutions than ever before. There are truly no more excuses to ignore food waste! Food rescue organizations, such as Food Recovery Network on college campuses across the U.S. or Oz Harvest in Australia, are recovering surplus food and getting it to those in need. Interested? Here are 20 inspiring organizations doing this work worldwide. Rather than wasting surplus vegetables from farms or fresh cut remnants, Matriark transforms them into healthy, low-sodium vegetable products like pasta sauce and vegetable broth. Interested? These companies are turning would-be food waste into useful upcycled products. If you find you're constantly wasting the same things—coffee grounds, herb stems, a salad mix you forgot about—you can check out the book 'You Can Cook This! Turn the 30 Most Commonly Wasted Foods into 135 Delicious Plant-Based Meals.' Interested? These cookbooks are helping us take action starting with our next meal. Apps in countries around the world help connect us with food waste solutions, too: In France, Magic Fridge allows you to search and share recipes based on what ingredients you have on hand, and in India, Seva Kitchen crowd-sources food distribution by connecting people in real time. Interested? These apps are turning your phone into a food-waste-fighting powerhouse. For consumers like you and me, Mill is a company that develops food recyclers for our homes that compost food scraps. For producers, ColdHubs creates walk-in, 24/7 solar-powered cold stations to extend food shelf life and cut post-harvest losses. When we call our elected officials and encourage them to act on food waste, we can show them the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas, which analyzes policy recommendations in countries around the world to reduce food waste and tackle hunger. When we remind leaders in the private sector that reducing food waste is profitable, we can back up our statements with ReFED's Insights Engine, which offers deep dives into 40+ food waste reduction solutions and the impact they can have. It's not enough anymore just to build awareness about food waste without also giving people the tools they need to fight it. Fighting food waste is food system action. Fighting food waste is climate action. Fighting food waste builds a more nourished, just, equitable world! On April 1, Food Tank is co-hosting an evening event in collaboration with Compass Group, NYU Steinhardt, and Mill to celebrate Stop Food Waste Day in New York City. We'll convene food systems experts, local food-waste warriors, Broadway performers, youth spoken word poets, surprise celebrity guests, and more, all with a focus on celebrating the ways we can all take action. Speakers include (in alphabetical order): Jennifer Berg, NYU Steinhardt; Chris Ivens-Brown, Compass Group; Natasha Bernstein Bunzl, NYU Steinhardt; Andrew Fisher Jr., 10 Year-Old Youth Poet; Harrison Herz, NYU Steinhardt; Tony Hillery, Harlem Grown; Sam Kass, Investor, Chef, Policy Advisor; Amy Keister, Compass Group; Robert Lee, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine; Priyanka Naik, Celebrity Chef and Cookbook Author; Jennifer Noble, Broadway Actor; Prahlada Rastogi, 10 Year-Old Youth Poet; Merrill Schaefer, 13 Year-Old Youth Poet; Harry Tannenbaum, Mill; and more to be announced. Stop Food Waste Day, an international movement, is the largest single day of action in the fight against global food waste.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Louisiana students tackle massive issue with Super Bowl aftermath: 'The people of New Orleans are no strangers to the impact'
A student-powered nonprofit saved tons of food from the Super Bowl trash heap this weekend in New Orleans, reported AgFunderNews. The Food Recovery Network works with Tulane University and Louisiana State University students to collect surplus food from major game-day events and redirect it to people who need it most. This marks the fifth year of the Food Recovery Network's Big Game program, which recovers excess food from The Players Tailgate, a premier Super Bowl event. For 2025, Guy Fieri's Flavortown Tailgate joined the initiative, with Hellmann's Mayonnaise supporting for the second year. "We're so excited to be here," FRN executive director Regina Harmon said in an Instagram video filmed from the Tailgate. The need for food recovery hits close to home in New Orleans, where a recent winter storm underscored broader environmental challenges. "The people of New Orleans are no strangers to the impact of climate disasters on their community, and limiting food waste is one of many ways we can all work together to reduce carbon emissions and create a more climate-resilient world," Harmon told AgFunderNews. "And in a city where 62,000 New Orleanians are facing food insecurity, our recovery efforts can help to tackle two crises at once." Each Super Bowl generates over 140,000 pounds of surplus food waste, about 40 times heavier than a Ford Taurus. "Our large-scale events allow us to recover truckloads of food at a time," said Harmon. The organization started in 2011 and now works with over 8,000 students across 200-plus U.S. schools. Its latest focus targets community colleges through special grants since research shows two-year schools often serve areas with limited food access. One school in the first group of grant recipients has already saved 50,000 pounds of food. The success prompted FRN to think bigger: The group aims to grow from helping 4,000 people to 40,000 by 2030. Which of these groups has the biggest role to play in reducing food waste? Grocery stores Restaurants Individuals The government Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "We work really closely with the communities there, because for us it is about dignity and respect and listening to the community," Harmon says. "We're not here to tell them, 'Oh, this is what you need. You need a new FRN chapter.' We work really closely with the communities, let them know what our offerings are, and from there, they tell us what their needs are." Last year in Las Vegas, FRN students recovered nearly 4,000 pounds of food, enough for 3,328 meals. With two major events participating this year in New Orleans, they're making an even bigger impact. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
