ReFED's Roadmap to Reduce Food Waste Report Outlines How The U.S. Can Cut Waste and Make Money Doing it

This week, ReFED, a collaboration of leaders from private industry, nonprofits, and government who are committed to reducing food waste in the United State, released a report that will have a profound impact on food waste reduction efforts. 

Courtesy of ReFED, A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent

Courtesy of ReFED, A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent

A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent shows how achieving a 20% reduction in our nation’s food waste within a decade is not only feasible but also economically beneficial.  The report includes a nationwide inventory of where and how much food waste is occurring, an economic analysis of food waste, and real solutions for more a more efficient food system.

These solutions require an $18 billion investment over the course of a decade, mostly from existing legislation and natural market forces. The benefit to investing in food waste solutions yields a return of $100 billion over a decade, including $5.6 billion in lower food costs for consumers and $2 billion in profit increases for businesses and food service providers who adopt these practices.

The solutions are listed in 3 categories in order of priority: prevention, recovery, and recycling. 

Top Three Solutions with Greatest Economic Value by Category:

  • Prevention: Standardize Date Labeling, Consumer Education Campaigns, and Packaging Adjustments
  • Recovery: Donation Tax Incentives, Standardize Donation Regulations, and Donation Matching Software
  • Recycling: Centralized Composting, Centralized Anaerobic Digestion, and Water Resource Recovery Facilities with Anaerobic Digestion

·    What makes this report so unique is that it is the first national study that looks at the economics of food waste and provides an action plan with cost-effective solutions. Another valuable aspect of ReFED is multitude of stakeholders with ranging areas of expertise, giving the report a comprehensive perspective on the issue of food waste.

Using the solutions listed in the report will put the U.S. on track for halving food waste nationwide by 2030.

Find more information and download the full report at www.ReFED.com

Nick Lapis