U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy announced the inaugural class of the U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions, U.S. businesses and organizations pledging concrete steps to reduce food loss and waste in their operations 50% by 2030.
The winners include: Ahold USA, Blue Apron, Bon Appétit Management Company, Campbell Soup Company, Conagra Brands, Delhaize America, General Mills, Kellogg Company, PepsiCo, Sodexo, Unilever, Walmart, Wegman’s Food Markets, Weis Markets and YUM! Brands.
“The founding 2030 Champions have shown exceptional leadership in the fight to reduce, recover and recycle food loss and waste,” Secretary Vilsack says. “The staggering amount of wasted food in the United States has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation and climate change. The first 15 Champions are stepping up to do their part to help the nation reach this critical goal.”
In just the United States alone, the EPA estimates that more food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other single material in trash, nearly 21% of the waste stream. Reducing food waste also impacts climate change, as 20% of total U.S. methane emissions come from landfills.
“Reducing food waste is good for business, it’s good for the environment, and it’s good for our communities,” says Administrator McCarthy. “We need leaders in every field and every sector to help us reach our food loss goal. That’s why we’re excited to work with the 2030 Champions and others across the food retail industry as we work together to ensure that we feed families instead of landfills.”
Details on becoming a U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion can be found on the USDA U.S. Food Waste Challenge Web site and the EPA Sustainable Management of Food Web site . Businesses not yet in a position to make the 50% reduction commitment can participate in the Food Recovery Challenge or the U.S. Food Waste Challenge.
