Food Waste Reduction Alliance teaming with federal agencies to 'amplify' policies

The Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) announced a formal agreement on Wednesday 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), Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and 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 25-40% of food grown, processed and transported in the U.S. will never be consumed.

FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin called the agreement, announced 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,” she 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.”

GMA President and CEO Geoff Freeman said: “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 & CEO of the NRA, said reducing food waste provides the association’s members with more opportunities to serve their communities and customers.

“By reducing food waste, we can serve those in need today and set the table for success tomorrow,” she added.