Zero Food Waste in the Trash:Workshop on reducing/recovering

food wasteAfternoon Session: Recovering

Edible Food

Sponsored by Muskie School of Public Service/USM

“Let's feed people, not landfills.” - Gina McCarthy, EPA

Moving up the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy:

Feed Hungry People

10% of edible wasted food recovered each year in U.S.

(NRDC, 2015)

• Where can we recover edible food

Surplus packaged

foods from retail food

outlets

Edible crops remaining in fields after

harvest

Blemished food/

”Ugly” produce

Surplus perishable food from

restaurants or caterers

“We should encourage producers to reduce waste at the source and encourage food donations before composting.”

-Meghan Stasz, senior director of sustainability,

Food Waste Reduction Alliance

Food donationprotection:

The Bill EmersonGood Samaritan Food Donation Act (1996)

To encourage companies and organizations to donate healthy food that would otherwise go to waste, they are protected from criminal and civil liability under the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, signed in 1996.

This act encourages donation of food and grocery products to non-profit organizations for distribution to individuals in need:

Protects you from liability when you donate to non-profit organization;

Protects you from civil and criminal liability should the product donated in good faith later cause harm to the recipient;

Standardizes donor liability exposure. You or your legal counsel do not need to investigate liability laws in 50 states; and

Sets a floor of "gross negligence" or intentional misconduct for persons who donate grocery products. According to the new law, gross negligence is defined as "voluntary and conscious conduct by a person with knowledge (at the time of conduct) that the conduct is likely to be harmful to the health or well-being of another person."

Food Donation Policy for K-12 Schools:

Richard Russell National School Lunch Act amended 2011

Schools who donate food to qualified nonprofit organizations also protected by Good Samaritan Food Donation Act Laws – just like restaurants and other food service businesses

Tax deduction to encourage donations:

U.S. Internal Revenue Code 170 (e)(3)1976

Provides companies with tax incentive to donate their useable food to qualified nonprofit organizations for charitable purposes

This addition to the code made food banks possible

Barriers to recoveringedible food

Liability concerns

Distribution and storage logistics

Funds needed for gleaning, collecting, packaging and

distribution

Food recovery opportunities

Food insecurity

Connecting people with recovered edible food

Food recovery opportunities:

SupermarketsHouseholdsFarmsSchoolsRestaurants

Food recoveryinSupermarkets

Our foodshoppinghabit

“We buy our food based on how it looks and how it’s packaged, not the calories we can get from it. We shop with our eyes. That’s why produce is first in the door.”

Mark Lapping

Distinguished University Professor Emeritus

University of Southern Maine

Changingour habit:Recover & sell “ugly” produce

Fresh, nutritious and delicious produce

The difference? Looks a little or a lot different than the

"perfect" stuff you will find in most grocery stores or supermarkets

The UglyFruit & Veg Campaign

Because all produce should be loved and eaten, not wasted

“The Misfits”

Beautifullydelicious &nutritious

What’s a “Misfit”?

Wholesale company, Robinson Fresh, uses optical scanner to identify produce that does not meet federal guidelines

Packages produce under brand name “Misfit”

Misshapen, blemished, irregular or just downright ugly fruits and vegetables

Taste just as good and cost up to 30% less

Showing up in supermarket produce sections in Maine and across the country

Food Waste Reduction Alliance

Grocery Manufacturers Association (representing food and beverage companies)

Food Marketing Institute (representing food retailers)

National Restaurant Association (representing the foodservice industry)

Goals ofFood Waste Reduction Alliance

Established in 2011

FWRA has already engaged more than 30 leading companies and stakeholder partners, including Feeding America and Waste Management, Inc.

Goal #1: Reduce the amount of food waste generated

Goal #2: Increase the amount of safe, nutritious food donated to those in need

Goal #3: Recycle unavoidable food waste, diverting it from landfills

Food recovery inhouseholds

How to stop wasting edible food at home

Stick to your shopping

list

Buy imperfect produce

Eat leftovers

Plan meals

Date label confusion:

USDA encouraging consumers to eat certain foods past their expiration dates:

Foodkeeper App

App to help with food expiration dates: USDA’s “Foodkeeper” app (for smartphones)

Purpose: Help consumers figure out different products' shelf lives and get specific tips on storage of certain kinds of foods

“Foodkeeper” part of the U.S. Food Waste Challenge. joint effort by the USDA and EPA to reduce food waste

Food recovery onfarms

Gleaning makes a comeback

What is Gleaning

Revival of bygone practice to help feed the hungry

Gives farmers opportunity to use produce that would otherwise be wasted

Supports local food system by providing occasional labor, marketing and transportation services to farmers

Gleaning networks work with food producers to harvest or collect surplus food that would otherwise go to waste

Gleaning networks deliver fresh produce to food pantries and community meal sites

Usually powered by volunteers

Farm & food bankpartnerships

OHIO

Ohio Food Purchase Agriculture Clearance Program

17 year-old partnership between the state’s food bank network and over 100 farmers

Program receives $9 million in state funding annually

Farmers get reimbursed for picking, packing and delivering surplus crops to food banks

CALIFORNIA

Farm to Family program similar to partnership in Ohio without direct state funding. State offers tax incentives to farmers who donate produce and haulers who transport it to nonprofits

Food recovery at schools

Reducing food waste :What Schools Can Do Today (USDA)

Recovering food in the cafeteria

Share Table

Offer vs Serve

Set up a Share Table

USDA Guidelines on Share Tables

…Using “share tables” is an innovative strategy to encourage the consumption of nutritious foods and reduce food waste in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

…Share tables” are tables or stations where children may return whole food or beverage items they choose not to eat, if it is in compliance with local and State health and food safety codes. These food and beverage items are then available to other children who may want additional servings.

…Food or beverage items may be donated to a non-profit organization, such as a community food bank, homeless shelter or other non-profit charitable organization.

- Memo from Food and Nutrition Service, USDA

June 22, 2016

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cn/SP41_CACFP13_SFSP15_2016os.pdf

Maine CDC Health Inspection Program Food Sharing Tables Guidance for Schools(2017)

Share tables help reduce food waste and encourage consumption of foods served at schools.

These guidelines are intended to assist school staff who implement share tables.

The Department is exercising its authority per 8-103.10 10-144 CMR Ch. 200 to grant a variance to the Maine Food Code to allow for the following procedure for share tables.

Health Inspectors will review compliance with this variance during their inspections.

Maine CDC Health Inspection Program Food Sharing Tables Guidance for Schools(2017)

Prior to sitting down, students or staff may place unwanted served food on the share table, so that another student may select the food item.

A school staff person must be designated to monitor the share table.

Only food served by the school nutrition program may be placed on the share table.

Only intact packaged items (i.e., pre-packaged crackers, fruit snacks, juices, etc.) or fruits with thick skins that can be peeled, such as oranges, bananas or tangerines, are suggested for placement on the share table. Fruits having thin skins in which the skins are normally consumed, such as apples, pears, grapes and plums are not allowed.

Temperature-controlled intact packaged foods (i.e., milk, yogurt) must be held at proper temperature. Students may place milk, etc. in a small refrigerator, cooler or ice bath (provided by the school nutrition program) to prevent temperature abuse.

Food may not be returned to the kitchen for re-service and shall be disposed at the end of the 4-hour period or the end of the meal service.

Share tables should be used in combination with Offer Versus Serve and careful portion control to combat excess waste on trays.

Benefits of Share Tables

Helps to reduce food waste

Gives food to students who need it and really do want it

Helps to build culture of sharing among students

Offer vs Serve

Offer vs ServeUSDA Guidelines

A provision in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) that allows students to decline some of the food offered. The goals of Offer vs Serve are to reduce food waste in the school meals programs while permitting students to decline foods they do not intend to eat

Optional at all grade levels for breakfast and required at the senior high school level only for lunch.

- United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service

July 21, 2015

http://www.fns.usda.gov/updated-offer-vs-serve-guidance-nslp-and-sbp-beginning-sy2015-16

Offer vs ServeUSDA Guidelines

At Breakfast

At breakfast, schools must offer students all three required food components in at least the minimum required amounts. The components at breakfast are: grains (with optional meats/meat alternates allowed); juice/fruit/vegetable; and milk. Under OVS, a student must be offered at least four food items and must select at least three food items, one of which must be ½ cup of fruit or vegetables for Offer vs Serve.

At Lunch

At lunch, schools must offer students all five required food components in at least the minimum required amounts. The components at lunch are: meats/meat alternates; grains; fruit; vegetables; and fluid milk. Under Offer vs Serve, a student must take at least three components in the required serving sizes. One selection must be at least ½ cup from either the fruit or vegetable component.

-United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service

July 21, 2015

Maine’s Guidelines for Offer vs Serve

State of Maine supports USDA Food and Nutrition Service Guidelines:

• Students must take 3 of 5 options offered and one option must be ½ cup of fruit or vegetable

• Offer vs Serve is an option for K-12

• Food Service Director makes the decision whether the district will follow this option or not

-Walter Beesley

Maine DOE Child Nutrition Specialist

walter.beesley@maine.gov

207-624-6842

Can’t talk about food waste without talking about food insecurity

Food insecuritydefined

A state in which “consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during the year.”

- USDA

Social impact of wasting food

1 in 6 Americans lack a

secure supply of food while

we waste 40% of what

is produced

Food insecurity facts:

MaineSenior citizens

The number of seniors experiencing food insecurity has doubled in less than 5 years

Almost 1 in 3 Maine seniors face hunger or the threat of hunger

Maine has the 12th highest senior food insecurity rate in U.S.

(Source: Good Shepherd Food Bank)

Food insecurity facts:

Maine households

15.8 percent of Maine households are food insecure

Maine ranks 18th in the nation and 1st in New England for food insecurity

(Source: USDA)

Food insecurity facts:

Maine children

24 percent, or nearly 1 in every 4 Maine children, are food insecure

Maine ranks 19th in the nation and 1st in New England in child food insecurity

(Source: Feeding America)

Nearly 49% of Maine K-12 students eligible for free or reduced lunch (2016)

Source: KIDS COUNT Data Center – A project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation

Percentage of Maine K-12 students receiving free or reduced lunch

(Source: Maine Education Association)

Maine County

Percentage of K-12 Students Receiving Free or Reduced Lunch (2013)

Androscoggin 53.5%

Aroostook 54.6%

Cumberland 32.6%

Franklin 54.2%

Hancock 44.5%

Kennebec 48.4%

Knox 48.2%

Lincoln 48.3%

Oxford 61%

Penobscot 48.9%

Piscataquis 59.7%

Sagadahoc 42.7%

Somerset 59.9%

Waldo 57.5%

Washington 60%

York 35.7%

Food recovery inrestaurants

56 % of large restaurants said concerns about liability kept them from donating food

- From survey conducted by Food Waste Reduction Alliance,

2014

Why not all restaurantsdonate surplus food

Restaurants nationwide protected from getting sued when donating food by Good Samaritan Food Donation Act

BUT Restaurants have to comply with state and local food sanitation and label regulations, which vary widely, in order to be protected under the ActOne state might permit donating food put out for self-serve, while

another might not

Some areas might require specific types of package labeling, while others do not

Health inspectors may or may not be well versed in the USDA’s and FDA’s guidelines for food recovery

Recommendations: FDA and local health departments need to write clearer guidelines on

how to donate food safely

Guidelines around donation procedures need to be more uniform to settle concerns and streamline process

Note: Surplus food from all-you-can-eat buffets can’t be legally donated due to health code restrictions

Connecting people with recovered food

Connecting people with recovered food:

Food banks

What is a food bank

A non-profit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities

Food banks act as food storage and distribution depots for smaller agencies

Usually do not themselves give out food directly to people struggling with hunger

- Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. A nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs that provides food and services to people each year.

And food pantries

What is afood pantry

Food bank sorts and distributes donated food to non-profit organizations such as food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior care and emergency relief programs

Provides food directly to people in need

Receives, buys, stores and distributes food to low-income individuals in their community

No charge for food handed out or served

Connecting people with recovered food:

“Feeding the 5,000”

Feedback: environmental organization based in Britain that campaigns to end food waste at every level of the food system

Focus: eliminating food waste globally, working with governments, international institutions, businesses, NGOs, grassroots organizations and the public to change society’s attitude toward wasting food

Sponsor of “Feeding the 5,000” events

“Feeding the 5,000” event serves up communal feast for 5,000 people made entirely out of food that would otherwise have been wasted

First Feeding the 5,000 event: London 2009

Paris, Dublin, Manchester, New York, Sydney, Amsterdam and Brussels

“Feeding the 5,000”Portland, ME October 7, 2016

The Daily TableDorchester, MA

Connecting people with recovered food:

Daily Table2015

Founder: Former Trader Joe’s President Doug Rauch

Location: Dorchester, MA, south of downtown Boston

Nonprofit grocery store: Daily Table

Mission: Sell healthy food so cheap it can compete with fast food

Pricing: Daily Table sells produce at half of the U.S. city average price. Bananas sell for 29 cents per pound, and apples go for 69 cents per pound

Keeps prices low because it's sourcing food other grocers don't want or need due to a surplus supply, close expiration dates, or it looks too "ugly"

Grocers get a tax deduction for donating food, just like to a food bank

Connecting people with recovered food:

Proposed City of New York website (2017)

Proposed NYC city website would connect leftover food from restaurants and supermarkets with nonprofits trying to feed the hungry

Local supermarkets, restaurants and other dining/grocery locations post the surplus food they have available

Food banks and pantries log on to see what’s available to pick up for their clients

The quick turnaround allows nonprofits to obtain perishable food promptly and put it out the next day

Called the “Craigslist” model of food rescue

Connecting people with recovered food:

Spoiler Alert Technology

Helps organizations manage unsold food inventory, including food donations, discounted food sales, and organics brokering

Connects surplus food with community nonprofits

Technology’s accounting and reporting systems track tax benefits and document important financial, environmental and social metrics

Reduce waste management costs, claim tax benefits for charitable donations and find new buyers of surplus food

Connecting people with recovered food:

MealConnectTechnology

Designed to streamline donation process and get food to people who need it as quickly as possible

Business donors—whether it’s a retail chain like Chipotle, a local mom-and-pop shop, or a farmers market—upload information about surplus food they have to donate and select a date and time for pick-up (the account is free)

The technology sorts through available donations and matches them with partner organization, like a soup kitchen, based on need and timing

Once donation matched with partner, someone from partner agency collects surplus food from donor

Accessible in both website and app form

(Developed by Feeding America, 2017)

Looking ahead:

Reducing/recoveringfood waste

Food waste is a solvable problem

Fighting food waste can drive profits, create jobs, relieve hunger and benefit the environment

Consumers stand to gain billions every year

The number of meals recovered to feed the hungry can double

Restaurants and foodservice facilities will profit from reducing food waste

Scaling up food recycling in a few large cities can prevent millions of tons of waste

Collaboration is necessary — and happening already

“A Roadmap for Reducing Food Waste by 20 Percent,”

ReFED (Rethink Food Waste through Economics and Data),

2016

Looking ahead:

From the “Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2018 Farm Bill”

FOOD WASTE PREVENTION

Standardize and clarify date labels

Provide funding to K-12 schools to incorporate food waste prevention and food recovery education in their programs

Launch a national food waste education and awareness campaign

FOOD RECOVERY: INCREASING DONATIONS BY FARMS, FOOD MANUFACTURERS, RETAILERS AND RESTAURANTS

Strengthen the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act

Provide grant support for infrastructure investments to food recovery organizations

Provide grant support to innovative food recovery models

FOOD WASTE RECYCLING: COMPOSTING AND ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

Provide federal grants to support state and municipal organic waste bans, zero waste goals, and food waste prevention plans

Provide grants for the development of composting and anaerobic digestion infrastructure

FOOD WASTE REDUCTION COORDINATION

Create an Office of Food Waste Reduction or a Food Waste Coordinator Position within the USDA

- Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, May 2017

Resources

“Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2018 Farm Bill,” Harvard Law School Food Law and Public Policy, May 2017

http://www.chlpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Opportunities-to-Reduce-Food-Waste-in-the-2018-Farm-Bill_May-2017.pdf

“Keeping Food Out of the Landfill: Policy Ideas for States and Localities,” Harvard Law School Food Law and Public Policy, October 2016

http://www.chlpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Food-Waste-Toolkit_Oct-2016_smaller.pdf

"Solid Waste Management in Maine: Past, Present and Future," Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine

https://umaine.edu/mitchellcenter/wp-content/uploads/sites/293/2015/02/FINALSolid-Waste-Whitepaper-2.pdf

"Food Waste," Natural Resources Council of Maine,

http://www.nrcm.org/projects/sustainability/materials-management/food-waste/

“A Roadmap for Reducing Food Waste by 20 Percent,” Rethink Food Waste Through Economics and Data, 2016

https://www.refed.com/downloads/ReFED_Report_2016.pdf

“Food Sharing Tables, Guidance for Schools, ” Maine Health Inspection Program, Food Safety Posters and Policies, Division of Environmental Health, Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/el/postings.htm

MoreResources

“Share It - Don’t Trash It!” Webinar, October 2016,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Gk_dbSQCU

“Compost It - Don’t Trash It!” Webinar, October 2016,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66EU9DNpKgU

“Guide to Recovering and Composting Organics in Maine,” Mark King and George MacDonald, Maine DEP, March 2016 http://www.maine.gov/dep/sustainability/compost/compost_guide2016.pdf

Legislative resources from Rep. Chellie Pingree’s Office, https://pingree.house.gov/foodwaste

“Restaurant Composting: An Overview,” Hancock Country Planning Commission,

http://www.hcpcme.org/environment/compost/restaurantcomposting.pdf

List of Maine Food Banks and Food Pantries, http://www.foodpantries.org/st/maine

Feeding America – Interactive Map on Food Insecurity in the United States

http://map.feedingamerica.org/

More Resources

Wayside Food Programs, http://www.waysidemaine.org/

Hannaford Supermarkets, Sustainability Program, ttp://www.hannaford.com/content.jsp?pageName=CorpResp&leftNavArea=AboutLeftNav

South Portland High School, http://highschool.spsd.org/riots/

Natural Resources Council of Maine, http://www.nrcm.org/

ecomaine, http://www.ecomaine.org/tours-and-educational-outreach/

Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, https://www.gsfb.org/

Healthy Acadia, https://healthyacadia.org/

Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, http://www.avcog.org/

Wild Oats Bakery & Café, http://www.wildoatsbakery.com/

City of Portland, http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1890/Sustainability-Office

School Cafeteria Recycling and Composting Training Resources/New England Environmental Finance Center, http://efc.muskie.usm.maine.edu/pages/school_compost_resources.html

More Resources

“Reducing Food Waste – What Schools Can Do Today (USDA),” http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cnd/Infographic-food-waste.pdf

USDA Food Waste Challenge K-12 Schools, http://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/resources/K12_schools.html

EPA Food Recovery Challenge, https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-challenge-frc

The Ugly Fruit & Veg Campaign, http://www.endfoodwaste.org/ugly-fruit---veg.html

Green Schools Initiative, http://greenschools.net/article.php?id=395

Green Schools National Network, https://greenschoolsnationalnetwork.org/zero-waste-for-schools/

Afternoon SessionPanelists

Topic: Recovering edible food

Don Morrison – Operations Manager, Wayside Food Programs

Kasey Harris – Sustainability Programs Specialist, Hannaford Supermarkets

Hannah Semler – Gleaning and Farm Drop Manager, Healthy Acadia

Sam Michaud – Facilities Director, Good Shepherd Food Bank

Ryan Parker – Environmental Outreach Policy Coordinator, Natural Resources Council of Maine

Guiding Questionsfor thePanel

1. What are your organization’s best practices to recover food waste (food scraps or edible food) –

2. What have been your organization’s successes in working to keep food waste out of the trash -

3. What have been the challenges and barriers

4. What is the future of food recovery in Maine –

And what needs to change to make this food recovery effort sustainable going forward –

5. What needs to be done to keep connecting the organizations in the state working on this initiative so that the result is expansion and coordination of programs, and duplication is avoided. For example, should the approach be state-wide, county or local -

6. What advice would you give Workshop participants on actions they can take to keep food waste (food scraps or edible food) out of the trash -

Saving the Environment

One bowl ofrecovered foodat a time