These Food Waste Organizations Are Saving the World, One Harvest at a Time
August 4, 2017
At first blush, food waste might not sound like a huge problem—so what if you throw out a few bags of wilted spinach every month? But look at the stats, and it becomes obvious just how big a deal it really is.
For instance: Did you know that in the U.S., we waste 400 pounds of food per person per year (which costs a whopping $220 billion to grow, ship, and process)? Plus, growing all that wasted food not only eats up 20% of our water supply each year—when discarded food is dumped into landfills, it also contributes negatively to climate change. And in a time when one in seven Americans is food insecure, we just can’t afford that kind of waste.
Luckily, there are some seriously super food waste organizations, campaigns, and other helpers out there who are working to make this situation better. The following five are just the tip of the iceberg—and together, they’re making our world a better (and better-fed) place.
1. FEEDBACK: In the world of food waste organizations,
Feedback is one of the top dogs. The influential organization sponsors several groundbreaking initiatives, each of which tackles a different side of this hugely complex problem. With
Feeding the 5,000, Feedback raises awareness by catering communal, public meals for 5,000 people—made entirely from food that otherwise would have been sent to a landfill. With
The Gleaning Network, Feedback cuts down on food waste at farms by coordinating huge numbers of volunteers, farmers, and food redistribution charities. And with
The Pig Idea, it redirects catering waste from landfills to pig farms. Happy farmers, happy cooks—and happy pigs.
Image courtesy of Chris King Photography
2. MINTSCRAPS: Restaurants are at the heart of the food waste debate, which makes sense, given that a single restaurant can produce
a shocking 25,000-75,000 pounds of waste in one year. That's where
MintScraps comes in. An online platform that provides eateries and food businesses with in-depth analytics, graphics, and other metrics that track their waste in detail, it offers a smart and seamless way to keep tabs on what's being tossed—and keep waste (and costs) down.
3. CITY HARVEST NYC: Many cities have their own impressive food waste organizations—of which
City Harvest NYC is a true inspiration. The Big Apple-based non-profit has been in the food rescue game all the way back since 1982. In a city where upwards of 1.4 million residents struggle to eat three square meals a day, City Harvest is an invaluable lifeline, delivering 55 million pounds of excess food to soup kitchens, food pantries, and other worthy partners. On top of that, it also hosts a program that delivers free fruits and veggies to "
food desert" areas around the city.
Image courtesy of Ben Hider
4. HUNGRY HARVEST: Even if you're just one person, there are changes you can make to improve the national food waste quandary. One of the major ones? Don't judge your fruits and veggies by their appearances. In a country where one in five pieces of produce is tossed for logistical reasons—or because their looks aren't quite up to snuff—learning to love the lumps and bumps is the answer. Here to make it even easier is
Hungry Harvest, a service that delivers regular shipments of "recovered produce" straight to your door, CSA-style. Fresh,
seasonal, and environmentally sound: ugly produce is the culinary way forward.
5. FOOD RECOVERY NETWORK: Food Recovery Network is impressive for a few reasons. For starters, the organization has more than 230 chapters around the country. It has rescued over two million pounds of food since 2011. But best of all? It was started—and is still guided—by students. Founded by a small group of University of Maryland students who noticed their cafeteria was dumping excess food at the end of the day, Food Recovery Network has formed partnerships with local food banks and agencies around the nation. Now
that deserves an A+.
1. FEEDBACK: In the world of food waste organizations,
Feedback is one of the top dogs. The influential organization sponsors several groundbreaking initiatives, each of which tackles a different side of this hugely complex problem. With
Feeding the 5,000, Feedback raises awareness by catering communal, public meals for 5,000 people—made entirely from food that otherwise would have been sent to a landfill. With
The Gleaning Network, Feedback cuts down on food waste at farms by coordinating huge numbers of volunteers, farmers, and food redistribution charities. And with
The Pig Idea, it redirects catering waste from landfills to pig farms. Happy farmers, happy cooks—and happy pigs.
Image courtesy of Chris King Photography
2. MINTSCRAPS: Restaurants are at the heart of the food waste debate, which makes sense, given that a single restaurant can produce
a shocking 25,000-75,000 pounds of waste in one year. That's where
MintScraps comes in. An online platform that provides eateries and food businesses with in-depth analytics, graphics, and other metrics that track their waste in detail, it offers a smart and seamless way to keep tabs on what's being tossed—and keep waste (and costs) down.
3. CITY HARVEST NYC: Many cities have their own impressive food waste organizations—of which
City Harvest NYC is a true inspiration. The Big Apple-based non-profit has been in the food rescue game all the way back since 1982. In a city where upwards of 1.4 million residents struggle to eat three square meals a day, City Harvest is an invaluable lifeline, delivering 55 million pounds of excess food to soup kitchens, food pantries, and other worthy partners. On top of that, it also hosts a program that delivers free fruits and veggies to "
food desert" areas around the city.
Image courtesy of Ben Hider
4. HUNGRY HARVEST: Even if you're just one person, there are changes you can make to improve the national food waste quandary. One of the major ones? Don't judge your fruits and veggies by their appearances. In a country where one in five pieces of produce is tossed for logistical reasons—or because their looks aren't quite up to snuff—learning to love the lumps and bumps is the answer. Here to make it even easier is
Hungry Harvest, a service that delivers regular shipments of "recovered produce" straight to your door, CSA-style. Fresh,
seasonal, and environmentally sound: ugly produce is the culinary way forward.
5. FOOD RECOVERY NETWORK: Food Recovery Network is impressive for a few reasons. For starters, the organization has more than 230 chapters around the country. It has rescued over two million pounds of food since 2011. But best of all? It was started—and is still guided—by students. Founded by a small group of University of Maryland students who noticed their cafeteria was dumping excess food at the end of the day, Food Recovery Network has formed partnerships with local food banks and agencies around the nation. Now
that deserves an A+.
