Due to worries that food waste takes up too much space and causes environmental issues, an increasing number of states are attempting to keep food out of landfills.
Anything Sean Rafferty didn’t sell was thrown out when he first started out in the grocery business.
However, Rafferty, the store manager of ShopRite in Elmsford-Greenburgh, New York, was getting ready to deliver boxes of fresh produce, bread, doughnuts, and dairy products to a food bank on a recent day. This is a part of a statewide initiative that mandates larger businesses to recycle leftover food scraps and donate edible food, if feasible.
Everything used to go in the trash, to compactors, landfills, or wherever else it ended up, according to Rafferty, a 40-year veteran of the field. “Now, a ton of programs where we can donate all this food and help people with food insecurity have developed over the years.”
A growing number of states, including New York, are focusing on food waste because they are worried that it will reduce landfill space and cause global warming since, when disposed of in a landfill, meat, vegetables, and dairy products release the greenhouse gas methane. Families in need can also be fed by salvaging unwanted fruits, vegetables, eggs, cereals, and other foods.
Approximately one-third of food is wasted worldwide. The Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic states that the percentage is 40% in the US. The United States spends roughly $218 billion annually on food waste production and growth. A total of 63 tons (57 metric tons) are wasted, of which 10 tons (9 metric tons) are never harvested from farms and 52.4 tons (47.5 metric tons) end up in landfills.
Professor of law at Harvard University and head of the school’s Food Law and Policy Clinic Emily Broad Leib said, “What’s shocking to people is not only how much we waste… but also the impact.” “From 8% to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are attributable to food waste.”
However, she and others also observe that Americans are becoming more conscious of the need to take action to reduce food waste.
A 50% reduction in food waste by 2030 was declared as a goal by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2015.
This has led to several state-led programs as well as smaller, nonprofit endeavors.
Ten states, along with the District of Columbia, have enacted laws or put policies in place to donate, compost, or reduce waste. Legislation protecting donors and recovery organizations from criminal and civil liability related to food donations has been passed in all 50 states.
While businesses, including larger food wholesalers and supermarkets, are required by law in Connecticut to recycle food waste, California and Vermont have started programs to convert residents’ food waste into compost or energy. Maryland farmers who donate food are eligible for a tax credit of up to $5,000 per farm.
New York is not the only state that has implemented mechanisms that facilitate food donations. While Massachusetts limits the amount of food that businesses can send to landfills, Rhode Island requires food vendors servicing education institutions to donate any unused food to food banks. According to Broad Leib, this has increased food donations in the state by 22% over the past two years.
The program in New York is in its second year, and state representatives think it’s making a big difference.
Through Feeding New York State, which supports the state’s ten regional food banks, the program had redistributed 5 million pounds (2.3 million kilograms) of food as of late October, or 4 million meals. The organization hopes to double that amount the following year. Colleges, jails, theme parks, and athletic facilities are among the establishments that must provide food donations.
“It’s true that we should be cutting back on waste initially, but if it’s healthy food, we should feed people before throwing it away,” stated Sally Rowland, supervisor of the Organics, Reduction and Recycling division of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. It seems like common sense to me, and I believe that it has only served to increase public awareness
Although the group began working with businesses in 2014, since the donation law went into effect last year, participation has increased. A large portion of the food is donated to almost 300 partners and programs across the county, such as a food pantry on wheels and the Carver Center, a nonprofit organization that helps families and kids in Port Chester.
Vasquez stated, “This time of year is very important for us and a lot of families throughout Westchester.” “One is the expensive price of food. The cost of living is very high. Living in Westchester County is very expensive. Our goal is to provide as much support as we can to our families so they can use the money for bill-paying.
Betsy Quiroa was one of the people who visited the Carver Center earlier this month and bemoaned the fact that since the coronavirus pandemic, everything had become more expensive. On her visit, she planned to receive milk, eggs, fruits, and vegetables, and she stated that it didn’t matter if the produce had minor dents or scratches.
Quiroa, a mother of four who depends on Social Security, said, “Coming here is good.” You cannot purchase anything if you are unemployed. This is the issue.
Food waste activists are concerned that not enough is being done to reach the 2030 target, despite New York’s achievements. Coordination of the disparate state and local policies has been advocated by Broad Leib and others at the national level.
There is an objective, but according to Broad Leib, “we don’t really have a great roadmap… and how we’re going to actually achieve that end goal by 2030, which is kind of crazy.” She also said that the issue cannot be solved by the USDA’s one-person liaison office.
Donation programs are beneficial, according to Kathryn Bender, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Delaware. However, she is concerned that they may transfer the burden from businesses to nonprofits, who may find it difficult to distribute all the food.
“Preventing food waste is the best way to address it,” Bender stated. “Let’s not invest all of our resources in producing that food if we don’t need to.”