Jenna Ladd | July 18, 2016
This week’s On The Radio segment covers a call to action released by the USDA and EPA to reduce food waste nationwide.
Transcript: USDA and EPA announce food waste reduction goal
The United States Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have announced the first food waste reduction goals in U.S. history.
This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.
Released on July 1st, the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal: A Call to Action by Stakeholders seeks to galvanize farmers, food manufacturers, grocers, consumers, and policy makers to reduce food waste by 50 percent before 2030. The initiative outlines best practices as identified by stakeholders including the creation of markets for aesthetically unappealing produce, implementation of community composting systems, and the development of new food storage technology that would prevent spoilage. The document is the direct result of a Food Recovery Summit that was held last November in Charleston, South Carolina.
Iowa City Recycling Coordinator Jen Jordan organizes the commercial composting program at the Iowa City Landfill.
Jordan: “Fifteen percent of what goes into the Iowa City landfill is food waste so the city is definitely on board with efforts to help individuals and businesses reduce food waste, and not only to save the food waste from going to the landfill but to save money as well.”
Participation in the national 50% reduction goal is voluntary, but states like Massachusetts and Vermont have already instituted commercial food waste bans. Food waste makes up a majority of U.S. landfills and quickly generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. EPA notes that food loss reduction would help to mitigate climate change, address food insecurity, and save producers money.
For more information about food waste reduction in the U.S., visit Iowa-Environmental-Focus dot org.
For the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, I’m Betsy Stone.