Ohio State University is leading a $2.5 million funded effort from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help reduce food loss and waste.
Brian Law, a professor in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, will manage a pilot consumer campaign aimed at reducing the amount of food wasted in U.S. households.
Low, a professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics (AEDE), will partner with Sarah Elnaqib, associate director of Rutgers University Cooperative Extension, to develop educational messaging and campaign materials that can significantly reduce the amount of food waste in U.S. households.
“Nearly one-third of all food is wasted, and about half of that occurs in households across the United States,” said Lo. “Lessons learned from this pilot campaign will be used to develop an integrated education program for government agencies and non-government organizations.”
This grant is the latest in a series of USDA investments and activities aimed at reducing food loss and waste. In recent years, USDA has invested $57 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to spur farm-to-table activities across the country.
“Brian’s work on reducing food waste is a shining example of the power of integrated land-grant missions to solve pressing problems. His academic research has advanced knowledge of key elements of human behavior related to food waste,” said Amy Andoh, professor and chair of AEDE. “Through his involvement with Extension and federal agencies, he is applying that knowledge to strengthen the food supply chain, improve the environment, and save consumers money.”
Lo has conducted several research projects on food waste over the years and is a recognized expert in the field. For example, he found that people were confused by the order of dates on food packaging.
“Dates only have a food safety impact in rare cases,” he says. “Removing ‘sell by’ and ‘best by’ dates from food packaging could significantly reduce the amount of good food that goes to waste.”
His efforts to demonstrate the benefits of uniform national standards for such labels are mirrored in interagency and international efforts.
USDA announced that it has signed a formal agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to renew federal interagency collaboration to reduce food loss and waste. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has also joined the collaboration to help reduce food loss and waste internationally.
“By renewing this agreement and adding USAID to this effort, we affirm our shared commitment to coordinated action to reduce food loss and waste and educate the American people about its impacts and importance,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said. “These agencies work individually and collectively to combat food loss and waste from farm to fork.”
USDA, in partnership with EPA, has expanded the membership of the U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions from 30 in March 2020 to approximately 50 companies today. These are companies and organizations that have made a public commitment to halve food loss and waste from their U.S. operations by 2030. They include several industry giants across the food supply chain, including Danone North America, Smithfield Foods, Starbucks, Sysco, and Tyson Foods.
“Tackling consumer food waste is crucial because food wasted at home is likely to end up in landfill, creating a series of undesirable consequences,” Mr Lo said.
Approximately 80 billion pounds of food are sent to municipal solid waste landfills each year in the United States. According to the EPA, food is the largest source of material disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills in the United States, emitting methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Municipal solid waste landfills are the third largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions in the United States.
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