The Biden-Harris administration has unveiled a robust strategy aimed at significantly reducing food loss and waste across the United States. This National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics, detailed in a June 2024 document, is part of a broader effort to tackle climate change, enhance food security, and foster a more sustainable economy. The strategy involves a coordinated effort by the USDA, EPA, and FDA, targeting a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3.
Food waste is a significant issue in the United States, with more than one-third of the U.S. municipal waste stream being organic waste, including food, yard, and tree trimmings. Food waste alone comprises 24% of municipal solid waste in landfills and contributes 58% of landfill methane emissions. The National Strategy aims to address this problem through four main objectives: preventing food loss, preventing food waste, increasing the recycling rate for organic waste, and supporting policies that incentivize these practices.
1. Prevent Food Loss:
This objective focuses on optimizing the harvest and collection of raw commodities and foods, enhancing collaboration among farmers, processors, distributors, and emergency food assistance organizations. The USDA supports initiatives like the Emergency Food Assistance Program Farm to Food Bank Projects, which reduce agricultural food waste by facilitating donations to food banks.
2. Prevent Food Waste:
A national consumer education campaign is planned to raise awareness about the environmental and economic impacts of food waste. This campaign will leverage public-private partnerships and community leaders to disseminate information effectively. Educational programs targeting children and youth aim to instill lifelong habits of reducing food waste.
3. Increase Recycling Rate for Organic Waste:
The strategy encourages expanding infrastructure for composting and anaerobic digestion, particularly in underserved communities. USDA and EPA are investing in community-scale composting initiatives and supporting the development of decentralized composting operations, which can enhance local soil health and provide economic benefits.
4. Support Policies for Food Waste Prevention and Recycling:
The administration is promoting policies that incentivize food waste reduction and organic recycling. This includes providing technical assistance to local governments, supporting the standardization of date labeling to reduce consumer confusion, and enhancing food donation practices through updated food safety guidelines.
The strategy is backed by significant funding and support from various federal agencies. The USDA, EPA, and FDA are committed to using resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to implement these actions. For instance, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service aims to continue supporting The Emergency Food Assistance Program Farm to Food Bank Projects, subject to continued authorization and funding from Congress.
The USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is investing in innovative research, education, and extension proposals to optimize the harvest or collection of raw commodities and foods. Furthermore, the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Farm Storage Facility Loan Program provides low-interest financing to producers to build or upgrade facilities for storing commodities, thus increasing the shelf life of products and reducing food loss.
Challenges and Collaboration
The strategy acknowledges several challenges, including limited outreach and education, insufficient research funding, the need for collaboration across the supply chain, and obstacles faced by underserved communities. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated efforts among public and private sectors, including partnerships with non-profits and community organizations.
The EPA plays a crucial role in this strategy, particularly in supporting the development of additional organics recycling infrastructure through grants and other assistance for all communities, especially those that are underserved. The EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, includes support for organics recycling infrastructure as eligible activities.
Environmental and Economic Impacts
Reducing food waste has significant environmental and economic benefits. Food waste is a major contributor to methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Diverting organic waste from landfills can substantially reduce these emissions, supporting the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan. The strategy also aims to save money for households and businesses by reducing food waste and improving food security through increased food donations.
Furthermore, recycling organic waste can improve soil health and reduce reliance on mined and synthetic fertilizers, which are greenhouse gas-intensive to produce. The strategy highlights the importance of building community-scale organics recycling infrastructure, particularly in communities with environmental justice concerns, to reduce pollution, create jobs, and enhance local economies.
Additional Actions and Policies
In tandem with the food waste strategy, the Biden-Harris administration has introduced a Biotechnology Regulatory Plan to enhance the regulation of biotechnology products. This plan ensures the safety and efficacy of biotech innovations, fostering advancements that contribute to food security and environmental sustainability. By improving crop resilience and storage solutions, this plan directly supports the reduction of food loss and waste.
On July 21, 2023, the administration took a significant step towards reducing plastic pollution by announcing plans to phase out single-use plastics from all federal operations by 2035. This initiative begins with ending federal procurement of single-use plastics in food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027. This policy is part of a broader strategy to tackle plastic pollution, aligning with global efforts to end plastic pollution by 2040. The United States supports this goal but advocates for countries to set their own plans and regularly pledge their progress to the United Nations.
This phase-out targets the environmental impact of single-use plastics, which are a major source of pollution. The administration's approach includes several policies addressing fossil-fuel-intensive polymer production, enhancing recycling efforts, and removing plastic waste from oceans. These measures are expected to significantly reduce plastic pollution and its associated environmental harms.
In addition to addressing food waste and plastic pollution, the Biden-Harris administration has introduced several climate and nutrition policies aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and food security.
The administration has launched various grants and funding opportunities to support climate resilience and sustainable practices. Programs like the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants and the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program provide significant funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance recycling infrastructure. These initiatives are part of a broader effort to create a circular economy, where waste is minimized, and resources are reused and recycled.
Nutrition security is also a key focus of the administration’s policies. The National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, released in 2022, aims to improve food access and affordability. This strategy includes initiatives to reduce barriers to food recovery, support food banks, and enhance food donation practices. By improving food security, the administration aims to address both health and economic disparities, particularly in underserved communities.
Environmental justice is a cornerstone of these initiatives. The administration is committed to ensuring that disadvantaged communities benefit from these programs. The Justice40 Initiative, for example, aims to direct 40% of certain federal investments to marginalized communities that have been historically overburdened by pollution. This initiative highlights the administration's commitment to equity and inclusion in environmental and economic policies
The Biden-Harris administration's comprehensive approach to tackling food waste, climate change, plastic pollution, and nutrition security reflects a deep commitment to building a sustainable and resilient future. These initiatives are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve food security, enhance environmental sustainability, and foster innovation and economic growth. Through these policies, the administration aims to create cleaner, healthier communities and a more sustainable economy.
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