A Roadmap to Reduce Us Food Waste By
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A ROADMAP TO REDUCE U.S. FOOD WASTE BY 20 PERCENT 2016 ©2016 ReFED CONTENTS Foreword .................................................................................................... 1 About ReFED ............................................................................................. 2 ReFED Steering Committee & Advisory Council .............................. 3 ReFED Team .............................................................................................. 4 Key Insights ............................................................................................. 5 Priority Stakeholder Actions at a Glance ........................................... 7 INTRODUCTION Introduction ............................................................................................... 9 Overview of Food Waste ...................................................................... 12 ECONOMIC Scope ........................................................................................................ 15 ANALYSIS Solutions Evaluation ............................................................................... 17 Data Analysis ........................................................................................... 19 PREVENTION The Opportunity ..................................................................................... 27 SOLUTIONS The Current Landscape ...................................................................... 29 Barriers to Food Waste Prevention ................................................... 29 Solution Descriptions ........................................................................... 30 RECOVERY The Opportunity .................................................................................... 39 SOLUTIONS The Current Landscape ....................................................................... 41 Barriers to Food Recovery .................................................................. 43 Solution Descriptions ........................................................................... 43 RECYCLING The Opportunity .................................................................................... 49 SOLUTIONS The Current Landscape ....................................................................... 53 Data Analysis ......................................................................................... 55 Overcoming Barriers to Recycling .................................................... 56 Solution Descriptions ........................................................................... 60 THE PATH Overview ................................................................................................. 68 AHEAD Financing ................................................................................................. 69 Policy .......................................................................................................... 73 Innovation ................................................................................................. 75 Education .................................................................................................. 79 Future Research Opportunities ........................................................... 82 Moving to Action .................................................................................... 83 Contributors ............................................................................................ 85 Glossary ................................................................................................... 86 Appendix .................................................................................................. 87 References .............................................................................................. 89 FOREWORD The Journey Starts Now By 2050, it is estimated that the Earth’s population will top 9 billion. This growing We are grateful to everyone population will undeniably stress our food systems, natural resources, and ecosystems. who contributed to the creation But consider this: Currently, we waste up to 40% of our food globally. In the United of ReFED and this Roadmap, States, this equals roughly 400 pounds annually for every American. Meanwhile, one in especially our philanthropic seven Americans are food insecure. co-funders and Advisory Council These stunning facts — partnered with seeing waste occur firsthand through our work members. We would also like with our operating farm and the restaurants and grocery stores it services — really to strongly acknowledge the brought this issue home for us. This prompted us as philanthropists and a family pioneers in food waste reduction concerned about healthy communities and ecological sustainability to ask our team to who have dedicated time and explore the topic of wasted food. great passion to this issue. Many have worked for years Through our family foundation, we have been focused on solving large-scale at the grassroots, national, and environmental issues with market-based solutions since 2001. We started by looking at international levels to pave the how funding solutions to climate change, both through grants and impact investments, way for this effort. And we'd can play an important role in transitioning our society to a low-carbon economy. like to thank you, the reader, for Over the past 15 years, we’ve seen how climate change and resource utilization are engaging in this issue. Together, closely linked, and food is one of the most important resources in that equation. with the steps laid out in this This puts food waste squarely at the center of many global challenges. Reducing report, we can cut food waste food waste would have a game-changing impact on natural resources depletion and by 20% with actions that are degradation, food insecurity, national security, and climate change. As one of the feasible today, which will set largest economies and agricultural producers in the world, we believe the United us on the path to meet the U.S. States has a major role to play in setting an example and contributing to significant government’s target of a 50% food waste reduction. reduction in food waste by 2030. Last year, we approached like-minded philanthropists to join us in launching ReFED: “Rethinking Food Waste through Economics and Data: A Roadmap to Reduce Food Waste” to map a path for action and solutions. We knew from the start that a multi- stakeholder approach was needed so we invited leading food businesses, environmental and hunger organizations, investors, policymakers, and innovators to join the effort. The economic analysis and research we undertook revealed exciting news: Food waste is a solvable problem. But four priority actions are needed to reach significant reductions. First, we must galvanize hundreds of millions of dollars of new catalytic funding. Second, policymakers must make pragmatic changes to tax incentives, safety regulations, and permitting procedures to support healthy market solutions. Third, America must unleash its spirit of innovation to develop new technology and business- model innovations. Finally, a sweeping education and awareness campaign is needed to change behavior both among consumers and employees of food businesses. This Roadmap report is a guide and a call to action for us to work together to solve this problem. Businesses can save money for themselves and their customers. Policymakers can unleash a new wave of local job creation. Foundations can take a major step in addressing environmental issues and hunger. And innovators across all sectors can launch new products, services, and business models. There will be no losers, only winners, as food finds its way to its highest and best use. The Roadmap is just the beginning. In order to succeed, we need to crowdsource even more information and solutions. ReFED has welcomed input at every stage and encourages input now. After reading the Roadmap, we encourage you to visit refed.com, dig deeper into our analysis, and send us your ideas and feedback. This is a defining moment for us all. Let's start the journey now. Thank you, Betsy and Jesse Fink Trustees The Fink Family Foundation 1 The Roadmap was made possible with the ABOUT ReFED generous support from the following foundations: ReFED is a collaboration of over 30 business, nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders committed to reducing food waste in the United States. ReFED seeks to unlock new philanthropic and investment capital, along with technology, business, and policy innovation, which is projected to catalyze tens of thousands of new jobs, recover billions of meals annually for the hungry, and reduce national water use and greenhouse gas emissions. ReFED was formed in early 2015 to create a Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste, the first ever national economic study and action plan driven by a multi- stakeholder group committed to tackling food waste at scale. Recently, a number of initiatives have raised awareness of the magnitude of the problem. The Roadmap is designed to fill the gap between awareness and action by creating transparency in the waste flows, costs, and opportunities of a more efficient food system achieved by preventing, recovering, and recycling food waste. The Roadmap is the result of a collaborative stakeholder process, including input and support from ReFED members and over 80 additional industry experts. THE ROADMAP WAS DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ReFED | A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent 2 ReFED STEERING COMMITTEE AND ADVISORY COUNCIL The