Sprouts Honored by EPA for Reducing Food Waste

12/11/2018

Sprouts has not only been recognized by the EPA for its efforts in the Food Recovery Challenge, but the grocer is also a U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the outstanding accomplishments of a Sprouts Farmers Market store and 13 other businesses and organizations participating in EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge (FRC), part of the Trump Administration’s Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative.

This year’s FRC national awardees employed innovative approaches and engaged in a range of cost-effective and practical actions to prevent and reduce food waste, according to the EPA.

“The Trump Administration is working closely with businesses and consumers to prevent food loss, redirect excess food to productive uses, and maximize the inherent value of food,” noted EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “The accomplishments of the Food Recovery Challenge participants not only benefit the environment and the economy, but also serve as excellent examples for other companies, governments, and organizations to emulate.”

The agency recognizes Food Recovery Challenge participants and endorsers with awards in two categories: data-driven and narrative. Sprouts store #256 in Tustin, Calif., received a data-driven award, which went to recipients that achieved the highest percent increases in their sector comparing year-to-year data. Narrative award winners, meanwhile, made notable strides in the areas of source reduction, leadership, innovation, education and outreach, and endorsement.

Other winners in the data-driven category include Encinitas, Calif.-based nonprofit ProduceGood, which works with local farms to upcycle edible organics, while among the narrative award winners is Gaithersburg, Md.-based foodservice provider Sodexo, in the area of endorsement.

Sprouts is also one of two winners to be counted among the EPA’s U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions, a group of businesses and organizations who have publicly committed to reduce food loss and waste by 50 percent in their own operations by the year 2030; the other is Sodexo. Additional 2030 Champions include Ahold Delhaize, Blue Apron, The Campbell Soup Co., Conagra, Farmstead, General Mills, Kellogg Co., The Kroger Co., MOM’s Organic Market, PepsiCo, Unilever, Walmart, Wegmans Food Markets and Weis Markets.

The Reducing Food Waste Initiative is a collaboration among EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration to reduce food loss and waste through combined federal action. More than 1,000 businesses, governments, and organizations take part in EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge. In 2017, FRC participants prevented or diverted nearly 648,000 tons of food from entering landfills or incinerators, saving participants as much as $31.2 million in avoided landfill tipping fees.

Phoenix-based Sprouts is No. 22 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.