Wasted Food: A National Challenge

JoAnne BerkenkampNatural Resources Defense Council

40%of all food

goes uneaten

Image Source: trijandjs

Enough to feed 164 million people

And it’s not just the food that is wasted….

21%

19%

18%

21%

37M of water use

of landfill

content

of cropland

of fertilizer

cars/year

equivalent

GHGS

• Advancing Sustainable Materials Management, 2013 Fact Sheet (EPA)

Farms16%

Manufacturers…

Consumer Facing

Businesses40%

Homes43%

Supermarkets, Grocery

Stores & …

Restaura…

Institutional & …Governm…

Where Food Waste Happens…

Consumers: 43% of Wasted Food

The average American family of four spends $1,500 on food they throw away each year.

And most believe they don’t waste food…

How can we help consumers be part of the solution?

10

Use in Food Service Settings

11

Videos for TV and Social Media

12

Out-of-home placements

13

Tips for consumers at home

14

More consumer materials

In our first year:• Outreach to 33,000 media channels

• Garnered $34 million in donated media to date

• Inviting partners: colleges and universities, cities, counties, K-12, faith groups, waste haulers, grocery stores, restaurants, healthcare, etc.

• Free to download in electronic form

Types of Imperfection

• Over/under-size

• Misshaped

• Superficial scarring

• Uneven coloration on the surface

Imperfect Produce

• 4-10% of food purchased in foodservice never reaches a customer!

• Tracking food waste can save 2- 6% in food costs

Facts & Figures

• What makes it hard to predict how much food will be needed each day?

Unique Challenges in Schools

• What are the reasons kids dump food in the trash?

Unique Challenges in Schools

✓Expected to not run out of anything at last lunch

✓Serving leftovers a “no-no”

✓Seconds table politics

✓Who’s problem is food waste?

Unique Challenges in Schools

Reduce food waste through improved ordering, prepping, & storage

Recover wholesome, uneaten food and donate it to feed people in need

Recycle discarded food for other uses including animal feed, compost, and energy generation

Food Recovery Hierarchy

• Cycle menus

• Allow “chefs choice” days

• Create recipes that use same basic ingredientsHow many ways can you menu diced chicken?

• Plan for items to be served at next meals such as fruit

Reduce – Menu Planning

Reduce – Purchasing

• Put fresh produce on the menu earlier in the week

• Buy seconds or smaller size produce if cutting up

• Use by dates and best by dates are guidelines, not law

• Train staff

• Inspect all products for:

• Temperature

• Quality

• Expiration or best use dates

• Move items to proper storage quickly

• Specify in bids that deliveries arrive before or after meal service

Reduce – Storage

• Train staff

• Knife skills

• Use of equipment

• Batch cooking

• Provide accurate recipes

• Use of shallow pans at end of service

• Completed production records

Reduce – Preparation

• While USDA guidance has permitted the use of both sharing tables and the recycling of food and beverages, including milk…

• Some states are more restrictive; therefore, this practice is only acceptable when in compliance with applicable state and local health codes.

California Department of Education Turlock Unified School District, CA

Recover – Sharing Tables

• Non-potentially hazardous foods such as pre-packaged crackers/graham crackers, bowl pack cereals, and condiment packets, that are maintained in their original packaging, and are free from contamination may be re-used by the foodservice operation if they ensure that the sharing table is supervised by the foodservice staff.

• If the above requirements cannot be guaranteed, many school foodservice operations choose to leave these food items on the sharing table and have them available for students as additional snacks, which are not considered to be part of the reimbursable meal.

From the California Department of Education: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/sn/mbnsdsnp052008.asp

Recover – Sharing Tables

• Prepare for your meeting with your local food safety inspector

• Develop SOPs

• Train staff and students

• Celebrate success!

Recover – Sharing Tables

• Food donations are offered liability protection from the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act and allowed for Child Nutrition Program

• Food banks & local charities may take:

• Fresh produce

• Hot prepared foods

• Processed goods

• Check w/ local health department

Recover – Good Samaritan Act

• Hyper-local decision making regarding collecting and donating the food

• Funding and volunteer issues relating to collecting & distributing recovered food

• Fear about liability and illness

• Lack of knowledge of Good Samaritan Act

• No transportation

• Lack of storage space

Recover – Barriers

• 28 years of giving

• Nutrition Center staff concerns about waste

• “Expired” products

• Individual items w/ best use or expiration dates

• Wrapped items that are broken or less than perfect (Smart Rounds, Muffins)

• Bulk items that we will no longer use (#10 cans, bits of this or that)

Recover – SPPS Program

• School Kitchen Items

• Greatest need – entrees

• Burgers & chicken patties (no bun)

• Spaghetti sauce

• Chili

• Taco meat

• Hmong beef rice

• Teriyaki chicken

Recover – SPPS Program

• Build a team

• Facilities

• Custodial• Students

• Staff

• City/County

• Nearly 80 percent of school waste is recyclable or compostable

Source: Hennepin County, MN

Recycling – Composting

Recycling –Livestock Feed

• Recess before lunch 30%

• Increasing meal time from 20 to 30 minutes cuts waste by 1/3

• Use Smarter Lunchroom ideas

• Self serve and self portion

• Cutting fruits into bite size

U.S. Food Waste Challenge Ideas

Educating Staff & Students

• Contests

• SAVETHEFOOD.ORG PSAs

• Classroom visits

• Science, math, environmental groups

Food Waste Happens Everywhere

WasteFreeLunches.Org

Earth Day April 22, 2018

Natural Resource Defense Council (NRCD)https://www.nrdc.org/issues/food

http://savethefood.com

SAVETHEFOOD Social Media Press Kithttp://socialmediakit.adcouncil.org/presskit/save-the-food/

ReFEDhttp://www.refed.com/about

Hennepin County Composting

http://www.hennepin.us/business/recycling-hazardous-waste/school-recycling

WasteFreeLunches.Orghttp://wastefreelunches.org/success.html

Resources and References

LeanPath Resourceshttp://www.leanpath.com

Food Waste Reduction in Schools, Iowa DOEhttps://www.educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/Food%20Waste%20Reduction%20in%20SChool%20meals.pdf

USDA Resources (food waste, salad bars, share tables, U.S. Food Waste Challenge)

http://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/resources/K12_schools.html

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/SP31-2013os.pdf

California DOE (Share tables)http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/sn/mbnsdsnp052008.asp

Beyond Beauty (National Good Food Network)http://ngfn.org/resources/ngfn-cluster-calls/beyond-beauty/webinar

Resources and References

JoAnne Berkenkampjberkenkamp@nrdc.org

Jean Ronnei, SNS Senior Consultant

jean@proteamadvisors.com

Presentation Title: Food Waste: The Latest Movement

Presentation Key Area: Key Area 3 - Administration

Professional Standards Code: 3250

A Story and Thank You