The Biden-Harris Administration has unveiled an ambitious draft for a national strategy, aiming to slash food loss and waste in half by the year 2030. This innovative plan, as per insights from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), addresses a critical issue: food currently tops the list of materials cluttering our landfills, contributing to almost 60% of landfill methane emissions. The strategy is not just a blueprint but a call to action, steering the nation towards more sustainable waste management practices and finding better homes for surplus food.

Jean Buzby, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Loss and Waste Liaison emphasized the strategy’s pivotal role in catalyzing nationwide efforts, “The strategy is a significant step in spurring action.” The plan is comprehensive, covering four vital objectives: minimizing food loss and waste, enhancing recycling of all organic waste, and fostering policies and incentives for prevention and recycling of organics.

Crafted through the collaborative efforts of the EPA, USDA, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this strategy is more than just a document. It’s a roadmap, highlighting actionable steps for each agency to tackle the complexities of food loss and waste, building upon existing initiatives.

Interagency synergy is crucial, as Buzby highlights, for a cohesive federal response to this pressing issue. The strategy encompasses a range of interventions, from bolstering composting initiatives and conducting research to understand systemic causes, to standardizing food donation practices.

Buzby further underscored the multifaceted benefits of this strategy. “Investments by the USDA, EPA, and FDA in the prevention of food loss and waste and increasing organics recycling will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, save households and businesses money, and build cleaner communities.”

The administration has now opened the floor for public commentary on this Draft National Strategy, with a deadline set for February 3, 2024. Buzby’s call to action is clear – everyone, from public and private sectors to individual consumers, has a pivotal role in this endeavor. “Everyone has a role to play in reducing [food loss and waste], including those in both the public and private sector and consumers.” As food loss and waste touch every citizen and stakeholder in the food system, the strategy seeks diverse inputs and comments from all corners of society.