Practical guide to reducing food waste

Each year, approximately 36 billion kg of food waste is discarded in US landfills. The issue is now receiving national attention following the announcement of USDA and EPA’s first-ever national food waste reduction goals, which aim for a 50% drop by 2030.

To provide assistance for corporations, The Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) has released a guide with practical steps and examples to help food manufacturers, food retailers and restaurants cut food waste.

The Best Practices and Emerging Solutions guide highlights ways companies can begin or expand their food donation or food waste diversion programs. Compiled by FWRA, a cross-sector industry initiative led by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the National Restaurant Association (NRA), the guide focuses on strategies food manufacturers, retailers and restaurant and foodservice operators can employ to keep food out of landfills, and to reduce food waste at the source.

The guide includes case studies, model practices and emerging solutions from more than 30 member companies throughout the food chain. Some examples of the success stories include:

• The Campbell Soup Company’s partnership with the Food Bank of South Jersey and the NJ agricultural community in which undersized peaches headed for landfill were given new life as shelf-stable peach salsa. Just Peachy is sold at retail with proceeds benefiting the Food Bank of South Jersey.
• ConAgra Foods, Inc.’s strategy to change the way they transition from one pudding flavour to another in a manufacturing facility by creating blended flavours rather than waste product while flushing the manufacturing line. The mixed-flavour pudding is now donated, reducing manufacturing loss and getting food to those in need.
• Dramatic reductions in food waste seen by food service operators such as Aramark Corporation and Sodexo just by eliminating trays in dining halls and cafeterias.
• Darden Restaurants’ and Yum! Brands’ partnership with the Food Donation Connection to establish the Darden Harvest and Yum! Harvest programs which coordinate food donations to food banks and other charitable organisations as an alternative to discarding prepared foods.
• Supermarkets such as Hannaford Supermarkets and Weis Markets, Inc. are making strides in improvements to their food donation programs, enabling them to share best practices, helping others to do the same.

To access the 2015 Best Practices Guide, click here.