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:

1. Create a Food Loss and Waste Reduction Office within the USDA to improve federal coordination;
2. Fund planning and infrastructure to reduce food waste and enhance surplus food recovery;
3. Support research in food waste prevention, upcycling, and recycling solutions; and
4. 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. To learn more about or join the Zero Food Waste Coalition, please email zfwcoalition@gmail.com.

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Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill

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The Zero Food Waste Coalition aims to inform and influence policy at the local, state, and federal levels, and share policy updates and opportunities with partners and stakeholders around the country to bring consumers, businesses, and government together to make food loss and waste history. The Coalition was launched by NRDC, WWF, ReFED, and FLPC in April 2023, formalizing a partnership that began in January 2020.

CONTACT:
Zero Food Waste Coalition, zfwcoalition@gmail.com