Reducing Food Waste One Plate at a Time: Solutions to a Global Dilemma

Americans are responsible for discarding approximately 40 million tons of food every year, making the United States a global leader in food waste. As a result, perfectly edible food is sent to the landfill to never be seen again – but that does not mean its effects are not felt. 

Wasting food has dangerous repercussions for the environment. While it rots in landfills, it emits methane, carbon dioxide, and chlorofluorocarbons, equal to seven percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. While our oceans and atmosphere heat up, 37 million Americans experience food insecurity. If we do not take aggressive measures to diminish food waste, more people will face hunger, and more land will be converted into agricultural fields. 

Food waste is a wicked problem that requires all hands on deck. Here are five solutions to manage and reduce food waste. 

Food Subscription Services

The ugly produce movement is often dubbed as the panacea for food waste. In reality, it tackles a different piece of the food waste puzzle – food loss. Food loss refers to food that has been discarded by farmers and food suppliers before reaching the market; this typically occurs during harvest, post-harvest, processing, and distribution. Food loss is perpetuated by inadequate infrastructure resulting in spills and spoils, overproduction and poor farm management, and stringent aesthetic standards. Each year, nearly 20 billion pounds of fruit and vegetables goes unharvested or left in fields in America. 

Companies such as Imperfect Foods, Hungry Harvest, and Misfits Market recover and sell cosmetically imperfect food that never makes it off of the farm. First, they partner with farmers and industrial producers to purchase edible produce that would otherwise be sent to a landfill or be plowed into the ground as compost. All of the businesses have pledged to prioritize sourcing sustainably, but this looks different for each company. 

Imperfect Foods, for example, recognizes the importance of minimizing our impact on the Earth, but they are willing to work with a small producer practicing regenerative land management even if they are not certified organic. Misfits Market, on the other hand, exclusively sources from producers certified organic so that all of their produce is non-GMO. Once the produce is acquired, customers subscribe to a weekly or bi-weekly box of groceries and customize the produce to fit their preferences. The food is then hand delivered to the customers door. 

Often enough, food is lost at the farm level because it is not economically logical to expend more energy harvesting unprofitable produce. Most farmers are under contract to retailers and are required to deliver a set quantity of food. However, due to the uncertainty of weather, labor availability, and diseases, farms will plant 25 to 30 percent more produce than their contract demands. In successful years this creates an oversupply in the market and forces the price to drop, leaving roughly 33 percent of edible produce unharvested in the fields. These subscription services have created a market for food surplus, giving farmers an additional source of revenue and financial security in unpredictable times. 

Additionally, normalizing the consumption of less pristine produce gives farmers the opportunity to move more food towards feeding humans instead of cows. While these services have received ample criticism, they provide more affordable produce options (up to 40 percent off supermarket prices) and offer the convenience of saving customers a trip to the grocery store. 

Multilateral Food Waste Initiatives 

In the midst of the pandemic, the United Nations reimagines its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to generate a larger impact. Goal 12 sets out to “ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns” in an effort to increase resource efficiency and minimize environmental impact. The third target of Goal 12 seeks to cut in half per capita global food waste at the market and consumer level, as well as reduce food losses along the supply chain. 

In an effort to reach these objectives, a worldwide coalition of high-ranking officials from governments, businesses, research institutions, farmer alliances, and civil society was established under the name Champions 12.3, in reference to the SDG goal 12.3. In 2019, they launched the 10x20x30 initiative to engage the private sector in reducing upstream food waste. The program partners with 10 food retailers spanning 80 countries, including Walmart, IKEA Food, and Kroger. The “Target-Measure-Act” approach challenges the retailers to collaborate with their top 20 suppliers, nearly 200 altogether, to halve food waste by 2030. Additionally, it requires food providers and retailers to measure and publish the exact amount of food lost and wasted, as well as take steps to reduce waste. 

Champions 12.3 partnered with the World Resources Institute (WRI) to push for systematic change in the retail landscape. The WRI reported that reducing food waste by 50 percent would reduce the gap between the amount of food available in 2010 and the amount of food necessary by 2050 by 20 percent. Achieving this substantial feat would eliminate the need to convert land the size of Argentina to farmland, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 gigatons per year by 2050. In order to reduce food waste from the farm to the table, the WRI identified a need to engage the private sector. By partnering with the WRI, the Waste and Resources and Action Programme, and the United Nations Environment Programme, Champions 12.3 can drive collective accountability and transparency for leading food retailers and purveyors working to ensure food security and build a more sustainable food system. 

Food to Energy

The U.S has branded incineration, the process of burning organic matter, as an eco-friendly form of waste management that reduces waste while producing energy. In 2015, approximately 12 percent of waste from the U.S was incinerated, producing 0.4 percent of total electricity, a minute amount in the grand scheme of things. As it currently stands, food and organic waste requires additional fuel to burn, making the process less cost-efficient. Furthermore, waste incineration releases noxious and toxic air pollutants, specifically lead, mercury, and carcinogenic dioxins. Waste incinerators are costly operations that require pollution monitors and fail-safes. However, when facilities fail to turn a profit due to low tipping fees, they eliminate the environmental controls thereby jeopardizing the health of the local population. Specifically, incinerators are disproportionately sited in marginalized communities of color further exacerbating health disparities. 

Food waste is a biodegradable waste that is often disposed of in landfills or sent to an incinerator. 

In recent years, researchers from around the world have explored more economically viable and environmentally friendly ways to transform organic matter, such as food waste and animal excrement, into energy. 

Biogas is a form of renewable energy comprised mostly of methane and carbon dioxide and produced through a process known as anaerobic digestion. Instead of allowing food in landfills to naturally emit methane into the atmosphere, it can be placed in an oxygen-free environment known as a digestion chamber. Under these anaerobic conditions, a complex community of microorganisms ferments and breaks down the waste from its original composition into biogas. The final product has a multitude of applications, for it can replace natural gas in vehicular fuel, electrical generation, heating, and cooking. In addition to biogas, anaerobic digestion produces a solid material known as digestate, a nutrient-rich fertilizer. 

Nature’s Disappearing Act 

The practice of recycling organic material into a nutrient-rich fertilizer dates back to the Stone Age. Archaeologists have discovered evidence that suggests the Scots composted on their farms in the British Isles about 12,000 years ago. Composting agricultural waste and excess food has been a longstanding practice all over the world, from Mesoamerica to Mesopotamia. The modern day version of composting and the popularization of sustainable farming practices can be traced back to the English botanist Albert Howard. In the early 20th century, Howard systematized a traditional Indian composting system into the Indore method. His career as an agricultural investigator culminated in his 1940 book, “An Agricultural Testament.” This seminal publication laid the foundation for Jerome Irving Rodale, the founder of the Rodale Institute, to advance the organic movement and promote composting as a means to foster soil health. 

In order to close the food system loop, composting food waste needs to be done on a larger scale. Currently, only a fraction of food waste is reclaimed and turned into fertilizer. In 2018 alone, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only 4.1 percent of waste food was composted. Composting has the potential to reduce the amount of organic waste in landfills and decrease methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Additionally, compost is a valuable organic matter that can provide an array of nutrients and limit the demand for synthetic fertilizers in agricultural fields. Compost breathes microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi into the Earth and creates complex soil structures optimal for water and nutrient retention. Not to mention, compost can aid in carbon sequestration and can remediate contaminated soils. By capturing the full potential of wasted food through the ancient art of composting, farmers and consumers will benefit from revitalized soils and the Earth will be a more suitable, livable place for all.

Composting by its very nature is a controlled form of decomposition that requires a balanced combination of “green” and “brown” organic materials. “Green” materials are typically loaded with nitrogen and consist of grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, eggshells, and animal manures. “Brown” materials are carbon rich and include wood chips, branches, leaves, paper, and cotton fabric. Typically, a ratio of three parts brown materials to one part green materials is ideal for composting. The decomposition of organic compounds such as cellulose and lignin is carried out by mesophiles, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, actinomycetes, and rotifers. A mixture of adequate water moisture and oxygen flow provide a suitable environment for microbial activity to flourish. 

Composting can take place on a variety of scales, from industrial-sized composting facilities to individual backyard composting bins. In 2009, the city of San Francisco, California passed an ordinance mandating all citizens within the commercial and residential sector separate recyclables, compostable materials such as food scraps and yard clippings, and remaining trash. The city implemented a program called the “Fantastic Three” to distinguish between the three bins each resident and business receives. The blue bin is for recyclables, the green bin is for compostables, and the black bin is reserved for landfill-bound materials. 

Through the San Francisco Department of Environment and Department of Public Works partnership with Recology, the city has diverted nearly 80 percent of waste from landfills since 2012. Advanced legislation, financial incentives including more expensive refuse rates for landfill bins compared to recycling bins, and extensive multilingual outreach and education programs have propelled the city towards reaching their goal of zero waste by 2020 (which has yet to be met). 

Today, Recology collects approximately 650 tons of organic waste a day, half of which is food waste. Compostables are hauled off to a private compost facility by the name of Jepson Prairie Organics and ground into smaller particles to stimulate decomposition. Promptly after finer material is screened and distributed into outdoor rows where it is wetted, turned, and cured. For every 650 tons of waste, 350 tons of compost is sold to the regions’ agricultural growers, including wineries in Napa Valley, and 303 fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere. San Francisco’s commitment to mitigating food waste has led to the creation of  green jobs and earned them the distinction of “greenest” city in North America. 

San Francisco’s bold approach to tackling food waste has demonstrated to the nation that sustainability is not only feasible but economical. San Francisco’s zero waste initiative is sustained by refuse rates charged to customers. The generated revenue funds waste collection, processing, disposal, and outreach and marketing events. While recyclables and compostables are more expensive to process, they both have a secondary market that generate a return on the initial investment. 

For municipalities lacking compost facilities, at home composting is a popular and affordable option for those with a private outdoor space. There are lots of ways to compost at home, one option is to build a three by three foot enclosure made of wood pallets. An alternative option is to purchase a composting bin. 

Additionally, vermicomposting, or worm composting, is commonly utilized at schools because it can be a fun and educational activity for children. Vermicompost is the result of aerobic decomposition and earthworm digestion. The final castings are rich in nutrients and optimal for potting soil. Typically, anaerobic composting takes up to two years to complete. Aerobic (requires oxygen) composting, on the other hand, speeds up decomposition and produces compost in three to six months. Once the material is dark, crumbly, and has an earthy odor, it can be spread across the landscape and mixed into the soil of potted plants. 

One Man’s Food Waste is Another Man’s Treasure 

The process of transforming byproducts and waste into an object of greater value, also known as upcycling, has been on the rise as environmentalism has come to the forefront of public discourse. Traditionally done with textiles, furniture, and jewelry, now innovators and entrepreneurs have shifted their efforts towards reinventing food perceived as waste.

 In 2017, a joint investigation led by three Drexel University professors demonstrated that if properly marketed, consumers would be open to using a new group of foods made from surplus ingredients, referred to as value-added surplus products. The researchers found that consumers preferred the term “upcycled.” As of June 2020, the Upcycled Food Association and a number of professionals from academia and the nonprofit sector settled on the following definition, “Upcycled foods use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains, and have a positive impact on the environment.” Establishing an official meaning for the phrase is a crucial building block for growing this novel food category. 

The Upcycled Food Association (UFA) is a mission-driven nonprofit founded in 2019 by upcycled food businesses. The association seeks to center themselves in the movement towards eliminating food waste by establishing a network of food suppliers, leading entrepreneurs, and university researchers. In Sept. 2020, the UFA secured its 100th member, DOLE Packaged Foods, LLC; altogether members represent 15 countries and several prominent ingredient suppliers. 

Another dominant actor in the world of upcycling is the Food Lab within Drexel University’s Center for Food and Hospitality Management and Department of Nutrition Sciences. This booming research and development center continues to support upcycled food companies by connecting them with major consumer packaged goods operations and food banks, including Philabundance, the largest hunger-relief organization in the Delaware Valley. Drexel’s Food Lab has opened the door for Philabundance to create partnerships with local dairy farmers. As a result, the farmers have ventured into the upcycling business by turning leftover skim milk from butter production into skim milk yogurt which is then sold at a discounted rate to the food bank. 

One of the latest and most promising upcycled businesses is San Francisco based company ReGrained. Before tapping into the upcycled food market, the two co-founders were college students brewing beer at UCLA. They discovered that every six-pack of brewed beer produces one pound of spent grain, most of which is discarded and spoils quickly. With the help of the USDA, they have used their patented thermo-mechanical process to recover and transport leftover grain from local mid-size breweries and mill it into SuperGrain+, a nutrient-dense flour packed with prebiotic fiber and protein. From there, they have turned the grain into nutrition bars and flavorful puffed chips. By providing an option for craft breweries to divert spent grain from the landfill, ReGrained is not only reducing food waste, but providing a nutritious snack. 

Another inspiring upcycled story is that of Lazy Bear Tea. Co-founder Daniela Uribe grew up witnessing piles upon piles of cascara (the husks of the coffee cherry) in the coffee growing regions of Columbia. While a fraction of the cascara is used as fertilizer, an alarming 20.8 million tons of coffee cherry waste is generated by the coffee industry each year. In an effort to combat the toxic effect of rotting coffee husks, Daniela launched a line of ready-to-drink cascara tea under her company Lazy Bear Tea in 2017. The company is able to upcycle a byproduct of the coffee plant into an energizing, fruity-flavored tea while offering an additional revenue stream for its coffee partners in Nicaragua. Uribe’s business is a conscious effort to address a devastating environmental issue through social responsibility. 

The global demand for action is clear. As large corporations, university researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors begin to redirect their efforts towards addressing food waste, it is important to commit to reducing waste in your own home. It is as simple as repurposing leftovers, planning out meals, preparing appropriate portion sizes, and going the extra mile to dispose of waste. Individual actions can and do add up to significant changes.