Food Waste Reduction Alliance Teams With Federal Agencies

10/30/2019

The Food Waste Reduction Alliance is joining forces with the USDA, the EPA and the FDA to foster environmental, societal and business innovation

The Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) has revealed a formal agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce food loss and waste through industry and agency-specific actions.

FWRA was founded in 2011 by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the National Restaurant Association to reduce the amount of food waste generated; increase the amount of safe, nutritious food donated to those in need; and divert unavoidable food waste from landfills. According to FWRA, it's estimated that 25% to 40% of food grown, processed and transported in the United States will never be consumed.

Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO of Arlington, Va.-based FMI, called the agreement, unveiled at the 2019 Food Waste Summit, a significant cross-functional commitment to pursue and amplify policies that encourage environmental, societal and business innovation.

“FWRA was founded with the conviction that the entire supply chain has a role to play in reducing food waste,” Sarasin added. “Despite the important progress that has been made in increasing donations and diverting waste from landfills, we must continue to learn from each other to forge new alliances and create and implement best practices.”

Added Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of Arlington-based GMA: “By collaborating with FMI, NRA and these federal agencies, the CPG industry can better share best practices to reducing waste and find innovative, scalable solutions to keep valuable material like food and packaging out of landfills. We look forward to working with our partners to putting an end to food waste.”

Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based NRA, said that reducing food waste provides the association’s members with more opportunities to serve their communities and customers.