White House Trying To Keep Edible Food Out of Landfills

The White House unveiled a national strategy recently to combat food waste and keep edible food out of landfills.

White House officials want to change the behavior of individuals and businesses to reduce waste by expanding food donations and other initiatives, an article by The New York Times stated.

According to ReFED, in 2021, the United States produced 91 million tones of unsold, uneaten food, the article stated. Nearly half of it was edible, but only 2 percent was donated.

Although the White House’s strategy contains no new regulations, Dana Gunders, ReFED’s Executive Director, called the strategy “a good first step.”

Officials in 2015 set a goal of cutting U.S. food waste in half by 2030. However, food waste actually increased between then and 2019, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Uneaten food ends up rotting in landfills, accounting for 16% of U.S. methane emissions.

Since our founding 25 years ago, Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization, has rescued enough food for more than 311 million meals and saved 73,000 tons of CO2 from entering the environment.

We pick up fresh, high quality, and wholesome food that otherwise would be discarded. We deliver it safely to soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and senior facilities. You help us by utilizing the Table to Table I-Rescue app, powered by Food Rescue Hero.