Zero Food Waste in the Trash: Workshop on reducing/recovering food waste Afternoon Session: Recovering Edible Food

Transcription

1 Zero Food Waste in the Trash: Workshop on reducing/recovering food waste Afternoon Session: Recovering Edible Food Sponsored by Muskie School of Public Service/USM

2 Let's feed people, not landfills. - Gina McCarthy, EPA

3 Moving up the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy: Feed Hungry People

4 10% of edible wasted food recovered each year in U.S. (NRDC, 2015) Where can we recover edible food Surplus packaged foods from retail food outlets Surplus perishable food from restaurants or caterers Edible crops remaining in fields after harvest Blemished food/ Ugly produce

5 We should encourage producers to reduce waste at the source and encourage food donations before composting. -Meghan Stasz, senior director of sustainability, Food Waste Reduction Alliance

6 Food donation protection: The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (1996) To encourage companies and organizations to donate healthy food that would otherwise go to waste, they are protected from criminal and civil liability under the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, signed in This act encourages donation of food and grocery products to non-profit organizations for distribution to individuals in need: Protects you from liability when you donate to non-profit organization; Protects you from civil and criminal liability should the product donated in good faith later cause harm to the recipient; Standardizes donor liability exposure. You or your legal counsel do not need to investigate liability laws in 50 states; and Sets a floor of "gross negligence" or intentional misconduct for persons who donate grocery products. According to the new law, gross negligence is defined as "voluntary and conscious conduct by a person with knowledge (at the time of conduct) that the conduct is likely to be harmful to the health or well-being of another person."

7 Food Donation Policy for K-12 Schools: Richard Russell National School Lunch Act amended 2011 Schools who donate food to qualified nonprofit organizations also protected by Good Samaritan Food Donation Act Laws just like restaurants and other food service businesses

8 Tax deduction to encourage donations: U.S. Internal Revenue Code 170 (e)(3) 1976 Provides companies with tax incentive to donate their useable food to qualified nonprofit organizations for charitable purposes This addition to the code made food banks possible

9 Liability concerns Barriers to recovering edible food Distribution and storage logistics Funds needed for gleaning, collecting, packaging and distribution

10 Food recovery opportunities Food insecurity Connecting people with recovered edible food

11 Food recovery opportunities: Supermarkets Households Farms Schools Restaurants

12 Food recovery in Supermarkets

13 Our food shopping habit We buy our food based on how it looks and how it s packaged, not the calories we can get from it. We shop with our eyes. That s why produce is first in the door. Mark Lapping Distinguished University Professor Emeritus University of Southern Maine

14 Changing our habit: Recover & sell ugly produce Fresh, nutritious and delicious produce The difference? Looks a little or a lot different than the "perfect" stuff you will find in most grocery stores or supermarkets

15 The Ugly Fruit & Veg Campaign Because all produce should be loved and eaten, not wasted

16 The Misfits Beautifully delicious & nutritious

17 What s a Misfit? Wholesale company, Robinson Fresh, uses optical scanner to identify produce that does not meet federal guidelines Packages produce under brand name Misfit Misshapen, blemished, irregular or just downright ugly fruits and vegetables Taste just as good and cost up to 30% less Showing up in supermarket produce sections in Maine and across the country

18 Food Waste Reduction Alliance Grocery Manufacturers Association (representing food and beverage companies) Food Marketing Institute (representing food retailers) National Restaurant Association (representing the foodservice industry)

19 Goals of Food Waste Reduction Alliance Established in 2011 FWRA has already engaged more than 30 leading companies and stakeholder partners, including Feeding America and Waste Management, Inc. Goal #1: Reduce the amount of food waste generated Goal #2: Increase the amount of safe, nutritious food donated to those in need Goal #3: Recycle unavoidable food waste, diverting it from landfills

20 Food recovery in households

21 How to stop wasting edible food at home Plan meals Eat leftovers Stick to your shopping list Buy imperfect produce

22 Date label confusion: USDA encouraging consumers to eat certain foods past their expiration dates: App to help with food expiration dates: USDA s Foodkeeper app (for smartphones) Purpose: Help consumers figure out different products' shelf lives and get specific tips on storage of certain kinds of foods Foodkeeper part of the U.S. Food Waste Challenge. joint effort by the USDA and EPA to reduce food waste Foodkeeper App

23 Food recovery on farms

24 Gleaning makes a comeback

25 What is Gleaning Revival of bygone practice to help feed the hungry Gives farmers opportunity to use produce that would otherwise be wasted Supports local food system by providing occasional labor, marketing and transportation services to farmers Gleaning networks work with food producers to harvest or collect surplus food that would otherwise go to waste Gleaning networks deliver fresh produce to food pantries and community meal sites Usually powered by volunteers

26 Farm & food bank partnerships OHIO Ohio Food Purchase Agriculture Clearance Program 17 year-old partnership between the state s food bank network and over 100 farmers Program receives $9 million in state funding annually Farmers get reimbursed for picking, packing and delivering surplus crops to food banks CALIFORNIA Farm to Family program similar to partnership in Ohio without direct state funding. State offers tax incentives to farmers who donate produce and haulers who transport it to nonprofits

27 Food recovery at schools

28 Reducing food waste : What Schools Can Do Today (USDA)

29 Recovering food in the cafeteria Share Table Offer vs Serve

30 Set up a Share Table

31 USDA Guidelines on Share Tables Using share tables is an innovative strategy to encourage the consumption of nutritious foods and reduce food waste in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Share tables are tables or stations where children may return whole food or beverage items they choose not to eat, if it is in compliance with local and State health and food safety codes. These food and beverage items are then available to other children who may want additional servings. Food or beverage items may be donated to a non-profit organization, such as a community food bank, homeless shelter or other non-profit charitable organization. - Memo from Food and Nutrition Service, USDA June 22, os.pdf

32 Maine CDC Health Inspection Program Food Sharing Tables Guidance for Schools (2017) Share tables help reduce food waste and encourage consumption of foods served at schools. These guidelines are intended to assist school staff who implement share tables. The Department is exercising its authority per CMR Ch. 200 to grant a variance to the Maine Food Code to allow for the following procedure for share tables. Health Inspectors will review compliance with this variance during their inspections.

33 Maine CDC Health Inspection Program Food Sharing Tables Guidance for Schools (2017) Prior to sitting down, students or staff may place unwanted served food on the share table, so that another student may select the food item. A school staff person must be designated to monitor the share table. Only food served by the school nutrition program may be placed on the share table. Only intact packaged items (i.e., pre-packaged crackers, fruit snacks, juices, etc.) or fruits with thick skins that can be peeled, such as oranges, bananas or tangerines, are suggested for placement on the share table. Fruits having thin skins in which the skins are normally consumed, such as apples, pears, grapes and plums are not allowed. Temperature-controlled intact packaged foods (i.e., milk, yogurt) must be held at proper temperature. Students may place milk, etc. in a small refrigerator, cooler or ice bath (provided by the school nutrition program) to prevent temperature abuse. Food may not be returned to the kitchen for re-service and shall be disposed at the end of the 4-hour period or the end of the meal service. Share tables should be used in combination with Offer Versus Serve and careful portion control to combat excess waste on trays.

34 Helps to reduce food waste Benefits of Share Tables Gives food to students who need it and really do want it Helps to build culture of sharing among students

35 Offer vs Serve

36 Offer vs Serve USDA Guidelines A provision in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) that allows students to decline some of the food offered. The goals of Offer vs Serve are to reduce food waste in the school meals programs while permitting students to decline foods they do not intend to eat Optional at all grade levels for breakfast and required at the senior high school level only for lunch. - United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service July 21,

37 Offer vs Serve USDA Guidelines At Breakfast At breakfast, schools must offer students all three required food components in at least the minimum required amounts. The components at breakfast are: grains (with optional meats/meat alternates allowed); juice/fruit/vegetable; and milk. Under OVS, a student must be offered at least four food items and must select at least three food items, one of which must be ½ cup of fruit or vegetables for Offer vs Serve. At Lunch At lunch, schools must offer students all five required food components in at least the minimum required amounts. The components at lunch are: meats/meat alternates; grains; fruit; vegetables; and fluid milk. Under Offer vs Serve, a student must take at least three components in the required serving sizes. One selection must be at least ½ cup from either the fruit or vegetable component. -United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service July 21, 2015

38 Maine s Guidelines for Offer vs Serve State of Maine supports USDA Food and Nutrition Service Guidelines: Students must take 3 of 5 options offered and one option must be ½ cup of fruit or vegetable Offer vs Serve is an option for K-12 Food Service Director makes the decision whether the district will follow this option or not -Walter Beesley Maine DOE Child Nutrition Specialist walter.beesley@maine.gov

39 Can t talk about food waste without talking about food insecurity

40 Food insecurity defined A state in which consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during the year. - USDA

41 1 in 6 Americans lack a Social impact of wasting food secure supply of food while we waste 40% of what is produced

42 Food insecurity facts: Maine Senior citizens The number of seniors experiencing food insecurity has doubled in less than 5 years Almost 1 in 3 Maine seniors face hunger or the threat of hunger Maine has the 12 th highest senior food insecurity rate in U.S. (Source: Good Shepherd Food Bank)

43 Food insecurity facts: Maine households 15.8 percent of Maine households are food insecure Maine ranks 18 th in the nation and 1 st in New England for food insecurity (Source: USDA)

44 Food insecurity facts: Maine children 24 percent, or nearly 1 in every 4 Maine children, are food insecure Maine ranks 19th in the nation and 1 st in New England in child food insecurity (Source: Feeding America)

45 Nearly 49% of Maine K-12 students eligible for free or reduced lunch (2016) Source: KIDS COUNT Data Center A project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation

46 Maine County Percentage of K-12 Students Receiving Free or Reduced Lunch (2013) Percentage of Maine K-12 students receiving free or reduced lunch (Source: Maine Education Association) Androscoggin 53.5% Aroostook 54.6% Cumberland 32.6% Franklin 54.2% Hancock 44.5% Kennebec 48.4% Knox 48.2% Lincoln 48.3% Oxford 61% Penobscot 48.9% Piscataquis 59.7% Sagadahoc 42.7% Somerset 59.9% Waldo 57.5% Washington 60% York 35.7%

47 Food recovery in restaurants

48 56 % of large restaurants said concerns about liability kept them from donating food - From survey conducted by Food Waste Reduction Alliance, 2014

49 Why not all restaurants donate surplus food Restaurants nationwide protected from getting sued when donating food by Good Samaritan Food Donation Act BUT Restaurants have to comply with state and local food sanitation and label regulations, which vary widely, in order to be protected under the Act One state might permit donating food put out for self-serve, while another might not Some areas might require specific types of package labeling, while others do not Health inspectors may or may not be well versed in the USDA s and FDA s guidelines for food recovery Recommendations: FDA and local health departments need to write clearer guidelines on how to donate food safely Guidelines around donation procedures need to be more uniform to settle concerns and streamline process Note: Surplus food from all-you-can-eat buffets can t be legally donated due to health code restrictions

50 Connecting people with recovered food

51 Connecting people with recovered food: Food banks

52 What is a food bank A non-profit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities Food banks act as food storage and distribution depots for smaller agencies Usually do not themselves give out food directly to people struggling with hunger - Feeding America, the nation s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. A nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs that provides food and services to people each year.

53 And food pantries

54 What is a food pantry Food bank sorts and distributes donated food to non-profit organizations such as food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior care and emergency relief programs Provides food directly to people in need Receives, buys, stores and distributes food to low-income individuals in their community No charge for food handed out or served

55 Connecting people with recovered food: Feeding the 5,000 Feedback: environmental organization based in Britain that campaigns to end food waste at every level of the food system Focus: eliminating food waste globally, working with governments, international institutions, businesses, NGOs, grassroots organizations and the public to change society s attitude toward wasting food Sponsor of Feeding the 5,000 events Feeding the 5,000 event serves up communal feast for 5,000 people made entirely out of food that would otherwise have been wasted First Feeding the 5,000 event: London 2009 Paris, Dublin, Manchester, New York, Sydney, Amsterdam and Brussels

56 Feeding the 5,000 Portland, ME October 7, 2016

57 The Daily Table Dorchester, MA

58 Connecting people with recovered food: Daily Table 2015 Founder: Former Trader Joe s President Doug Rauch Location: Dorchester, MA, south of downtown Boston Nonprofit grocery store: Daily Table Mission: Sell healthy food so cheap it can compete with fast food Pricing: Daily Table sells produce at half of the U.S. city average price. Bananas sell for 29 cents per pound, and apples go for 69 cents per pound Keeps prices low because it's sourcing food other grocers don't want or need due to a surplus supply, close expiration dates, or it looks too "ugly" Grocers get a tax deduction for donating food, just like to a food bank

59 Connecting people with recovered food: Proposed City of New York website (2017) Proposed NYC city website would connect leftover food from restaurants and supermarkets with nonprofits trying to feed the hungry Local supermarkets, restaurants and other dining/grocery locations post the surplus food they have available Food banks and pantries log on to see what s available to pick up for their clients The quick turnaround allows nonprofits to obtain perishable food promptly and put it out the next day Called the Craigslist model of food rescue

60 Connecting people with recovered food: Spoiler Alert Technology Helps organizations manage unsold food inventory, including food donations, discounted food sales, and organics brokering Connects surplus food with community nonprofits Technology s accounting and reporting systems track tax benefits and document important financial, environmental and social metrics Reduce waste management costs, claim tax benefits for charitable donations and find new buyers of surplus food

61 Connecting people with recovered food: MealConnect Technology Designed to streamline donation process and get food to people who need it as quickly as possible Business donors whether it s a retail chain like Chipotle, a local momand-pop shop, or a farmers market upload information about surplus food they have to donate and select a date and time for pick-up (the account is free) The technology sorts through available donations and matches them with partner organization, like a soup kitchen, based on need and timing Once donation matched with partner, someone from partner agency collects surplus food from donor Accessible in both website and app form (Developed by Feeding America, 2017)

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63 Looking ahead: Reducing/ recovering food waste Food waste is a solvable problem Fighting food waste can drive profits, create jobs, relieve hunger and benefit the environment Consumers stand to gain billions every year The number of meals recovered to feed the hungry can double Restaurants and foodservice facilities will profit from reducing food waste Scaling up food recycling in a few large cities can prevent millions of tons of waste Collaboration is necessary and happening already A Roadmap for Reducing Food Waste by 20 Percent, ReFED (Rethink Food Waste through Economics and Data), 2016

64 Looking ahead: From the Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2018 Farm Bill FOOD WASTE PREVENTION Standardize and clarify date labels Provide funding to K-12 schools to incorporate food waste prevention and food recovery education in their programs Launch a national food waste education and awareness campaign FOOD RECOVERY: INCREASING DONATIONS BY FARMS, FOOD MANUFACTURERS, RETAILERS AND RESTAURANTS Strengthen the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act Provide grant support for infrastructure investments to food recovery organizations Provide grant support to innovative food recovery models FOOD WASTE RECYCLING: COMPOSTING AND ANAEROBIC DIGESTION Provide federal grants to support state and municipal organic waste bans, zero waste goals, and food waste prevention plans Provide grants for the development of composting and anaerobic digestion infrastructure FOOD WASTE REDUCTION COORDINATION Create an Office of Food Waste Reduction or a Food Waste Coordinator Position within the USDA - Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, May 2017

65 Resources Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2018 Farm Bill, Harvard Law School Food Law and Public Policy, May Food-Waste-in-the-2018-Farm-Bill_May-2017.pdf Keeping Food Out of the Landfill: Policy Ideas for States and Localities, Harvard Law School Food Law and Public Policy, October _smaller.pdf "Solid Waste Management in Maine: Past, Present and Future," Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine "Food Waste," Natural Resources Council of Maine, A Roadmap for Reducing Food Waste by 20 Percent, Rethink Food Waste Through Economics and Data, Food Sharing Tables, Guidance for Schools, Maine Health Inspection Program, Food Safety Posters and Policies, Division of Environmental Health, Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention

66 More Resources Share It - Don t Trash It! Webinar, October 2016, Compost It - Don t Trash It! Webinar, October 2016, Guide to Recovering and Composting Organics in Maine, Mark King and George MacDonald, Maine DEP, March Legislative resources from Rep. Chellie Pingree s Office, Restaurant Composting: An Overview, Hancock Country Planning Commission, List of Maine Food Banks and Food Pantries, Feeding America Interactive Map on Food Insecurity in the United States

67 More Resources Wayside Food Programs, Hannaford Supermarkets, Sustainability Program, ttp:// =AboutLeftNav South Portland High School, Natural Resources Council of Maine, ecomaine, Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, Healthy Acadia, Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, Wild Oats Bakery & Café, City of Portland, School Cafeteria Recycling and Composting Training Resources/New England Environmental Finance Center,

68 More Resources Reducing Food Waste What Schools Can Do Today (USDA), USDA Food Waste Challenge K-12 Schools, EPA Food Recovery Challenge, The Ugly Fruit & Veg Campaign, veg.html Green Schools Initiative, Green Schools National Network,

69 Topic: Recovering edible food Afternoon Session Panelists Don Morrison Operations Manager, Wayside Food Programs Kasey Harris Sustainability Programs Specialist, Hannaford Supermarkets Hannah Semler Gleaning and Farm Drop Manager, Healthy Acadia Sam Michaud Facilities Director, Good Shepherd Food Bank Ryan Parker Environmental Outreach Policy Coordinator, Natural Resources Council of Maine

70 Guiding Questions for the Panel 1. What are your organization s best practices to recover food waste (food scraps or edible food) 2. What have been your organization s successes in working to keep food waste out of the trash - 3. What have been the challenges and barriers 4. What is the future of food recovery in Maine And what needs to change to make this food recovery effort sustainable going forward 5. What needs to be done to keep connecting the organizations in the state working on this initiative so that the result is expansion and coordination of programs, and duplication is avoided. For example, should the approach be state-wide, county or local - 6. What advice would you give Workshop participants on actions they can take to keep food waste (food scraps or edible food) out of the trash -

71 Saving the Environment One bowl of recovered food at a time