Today, the Zero Food Waste Coalition released an open letter to Congress encouraging them to take swift action to reauthorize the Farm Bill in 2024, as well as recommending specific improvements for food loss and waste provisions.
In addition to the founding Zero Food Waste Coalition members—Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, ReFED, World Wildlife Fund, and Natural Resources Defense Council—the letter is supported by 77 cross-sector stakeholders, including companies, non-profit organizations, universities, and more.
The recommendations detailed in the Farm Bill open letter include:
- Create a Food Loss and Waste Reduction Office within the USDA to improve federal coordination.
- Fund planning and infrastructure to reduce food waste and enhance surplus food recovery;
- Support research in food waste prevention, upcycling, and recycling solutions; and
- Clarify and standardize the food date labeling system.
These recommendations are based off of the Zero Food Waste Coalition’s report, “Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill,” which details effective levers for promoting long-lasting solutions to addressing food waste.
To read the complete letter and see the full list of signatories, click here.
