Sustainable Food Recovery Programs:Redirecting Excess Food to the Needy

Opportunities for Creative Partnerships

Steven M. FinnManaging Director, ResponsEcology

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Penn State Cooperative Extension

Sustainable Food Recovery Programs:Redirecting Excess Food to the Needy

Opportunities for Creative Partnerships

ResponsEcology

An initial thought…

“We have tens of thousands of abandoned homes without people and tens of thousands of abandoned people without homes.”

Paul Hawken, 2009 Commencement Address, University of Portland

Sounds crazy? Now think about Food…

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A Parallel to FoodAn estimated 50% of food lost from field to fork(Lundqvist, SIWI Policy Brief, 2008)

The UN estimates that one third of all food produced annually – 1.3 billion tons – is lost or wasted throughout the food supply chain(Gustavson, et al., www.fao.org , 2011)

Worldwide, 925 million hungry people in 2010(www.worldhunger.org)

And…1 in 6 Americans are food insecure

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Hunger Statistics for the US in 2009

• 43.6 million people (14.3%) were in poverty• 8.8 million families were in poverty• 15.5 million children under age 18 were in poverty• 50.2 million Americans were in food insecure households• The number of food insecure seniors is expected to

increase by 50% by 2025…

Yet Americans discard over 100 billion pounds of food per year – roughly one pound per person per day

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Causes of Food Waste - Farm to Table:• Imperfect weather• Pests• Damage from machinery• Blemishes/irregular sizes• Improper handling• Improper temperature control• Compliance with regulations (sell-by dates)• Conversion of raw food into other products• Overstocking/incorrect stock rotations• Package and label damage• Excessive portions• Over-preparation and expanded menu choices • Cooking losses and spillage

(Kantor, et al., 1997, www.ers.usda.gov)

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The Challenge

• We have excess food which goes to waste ( a social and environmental problem), and…

• We have a great need for the nutrients in that wasted food (“quality” calories to support a healthy lifestyle)

We can’t afford the waste….innovative solutions are needed

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The Role of Innovation and Creativity

• We need programs to reduce food waste by capturing the excess and efficiently redirecting it to the needy, and they must be lasting

• That’s where innovation and creativity come into play…– Connect the dots– Create partnerships– Solve logistical challenges– Success can breed success

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My Efforts in our Region

• Volunteered to help a food bank• Surveyed farmers in tri-county area• Reviewed logistical issues for gleaning and

donation programs• Contacted farmers; built relationships• Developed pilot projects• Developed recommendations for charitable

food organizations

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Survey Results• 40% of respondents stated they periodically have excess

amounts of nutritious produce (not just one-time)• That excess occurs throughout the growing season• 27% of respondents stated they would consider

donating/selling their excess to a food bank• 33% of respondents would allow the food bank to arrange a

gleaning crew if no liability to them• 60% of respondents have donated to food banks and pantries

in the past• 33% of respondents have greenhouse operations (i.e.

potential for year-round donations)

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Logistical issues/potential barriers

• Farmers are busy• You get one shot• Establish/nurture relationship• Accommodate the farmer’s schedule• Communicate the win/win (tax deductions, good

press, social mission, etc.)• Adhere to all commitments; reliability is key• Timeliness is critical• Overcome liability concerns• Strong organizational efforts needed

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A Vertically Integrated Approach

• Kingsbury Farm (VT) – Vermont Food Bank - a more innovative approach

• 22 acre farm – partnership• VTFB leases to farm couple• Farmers commit to producing 30,000 lbs. of

fresh produce for the VTFB’s network• Farmers have access to land, buildings,

equipment; keep all revenue from sales of produce beyond the 30,000 lb. commitment

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Lessons from Kingsbury Farm• Incentive to produce efficiently• Social mission• Manage land in a sustainable way (for future

farmers)• Met with food pantries, produce crops which

are:– Highly desired by constituents– High in nutrition content– Long-lasting

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More lessons from Kingsbury Farm

• Little food waste; culled crops used• Farmers communicate with food shelves;

produce and harvest according to what they can handle (plan production for efficiency)

• Train interns• Triple bottom line in action

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2011 in Bucks County

• Partnerships between food banks, farmers, and Delaware Valley College:

• 40,000 lbs. of excess produce collected from farmers

• Proposal to link DVC with charitable food organizations (vertical integration) – results in partnership and charitable garden project to start

• Relationships, Success, and MomentumResponsEcology

Identify the Barriers to Donation Partnerships

• Fear of liability (food; and on property)• Lack of storage space• Narrow time window (perishability)• Weather and market conditions• Lack of time to contact charitable food orgs• Lack of faith in pick-up organization• Discarding excess food seen as “easier”

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Overcoming the barriers

Charitable food organizations must…1. Operationally:– Be reliable– Be timely– Be consistent– Eliminate liability concerns

2. Communicate the benefits to farmers of a partnership

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Benefits to Donation Partnerships• Satisfaction – doing the right thing• Effectively utilizing excess versus waste• Minimizing disposal costs of excess• Tax deductions• Good citizenship• Good press (ex. website of food organization)• Opportunity to learn (plant what you might

not otherwise plant)• Source: portions from firstfoodbank.org

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Challenge Your Food Organization Partner to:

• Be reliable and timely• Be consistent • Demonstrate organizational skill• Utilize the excess food effectively• Provide appropriate receipts• Document your contributions on their website• Expand your market

• Be Creative – Take Pride in the Results!

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Questions?

• For additional information, contact Steven M. Finn at info@responsecology.com

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