A partnership of 12 organization is set to launch an online hub for information and solutions to reduce food waste, “Further With Food: Center for Food Loss and Waste Solutions,” at FurtherWithFood.org. The site is intended to help realize the national goal to halve food waste by 2030, announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in September 2015.
The website will launch in January 2017 and will feature content on best practices for preventing, recovering and recycling food loss and waste; educational materials; research results; and information on existing government, business, and community initiatives. All stakeholders – whether from businesses, government entities, NGOs, or other academics, investors, and individuals – will be able to learn more about their roles in meeting the national food waste reduction target, learn about proven solutions, and enable them to collaborate and reduce duplication of efforts.
“Because food waste is one of the most pressing – and solvable – challenges of our time, we launched our $130 million YieldWise initiative to prove that cutting it in half is within reach,” said Judith Rodin, the president of The Rockefeller Foundation. “Achieving our shared goals depends on harnessing the tremendous energy and innovation bubbling up across the country. Further With Food will be a place to compare notes on what's working, to build on new ideas, and to scale the most effective solutions so that, together, we can build a more resilient and productive food system.”
The USDA and EPA are participating in the Further With Food collaboration alongside The Rockefeller Foundation, the World Resources Institute (WRI), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, Feeding America, the Food Marketing Institute, the National Consumers League, and the National Restaurant Association.Keystone Policy Center provided technical assistance to the coalition.
The U.S. spends more than $162 billion growing, processing, and transporting food that is never eaten, costing the average family of four $1,500 every year. In the process, fresh water, energy, land, labor, and money are invested into food that's never sold and meals that are never served, and leading to greenhouse gas emissions as food rots in landfills.
“Curbing the enormous amount of food loss and waste in this country would help put food on the table for people in need, conserve natural resources, and make space in families' food budgets for healthier choices,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The good news is that partners across the country are joining the effort to reduce food loss and waste. As these efforts expand, there is a need for a common place for these diverse groups to share and learn from one another. Thanks to the leadership of this partnership, Further With Food is a timely solution that will provide the country with a single portal to share information and stimulate ideas for new projects.”
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Published Dec 28, 2016 1pm EST / 10am PST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET