The United States Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency and the Food And Drug Administration are working to reduce food waste with its “Winning on Reducing Food Waste” initiative. President Donald Trump declared April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month.
In the United States, more than one-third of all available food goes uneaten through loss or waste. Food is the single largest type of waste in Americans’ daily trash.
The federal government agencies are campaigning for greater collaboration with public, private and nonprofit partners and state and local officials to educate and engage consumers and stakeholders throughout the supply chain on the need to reduce food loss and waste.
President Trump acknowledged the month of April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month and encouraged public action and participation from all sectors.
“USDA alone cannot end food waste. It will require partners from across the supply chain working together on innovative solutions and consumer education,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “We need to feed our hungry world and by reducing food waste, we can more wisely use the resources we have. I am pleased President Trump identified this issue as one of importance, and I look forward to USDA’s continued work with our agency partners at EPA and FDA to change behavior in the long term on food waste.”
“Reducing food waste and redirecting excess food to people, animals or energy production provide immediate benefits to public health and the environment. I am proud to join President Trump and my federal partners in recognizing April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said. “We are working closely with our federal partners and stakeholders across the nation to reduce the amount of food going to landfills and maximize the value of our food resources.”
“With one in six people getting a foodborne illness every year in the U.S. and up to 40 percent of food left uneaten, it’s understandable why food safety and food waste are major societal concerns,” said FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas.
As part of the month’s observances, on April 9, EPA will host a live-streamed event with USDA and FDA. At the event, a panel of food waste stakeholders will share how state and local communities can join the federal government in reducing food waste and loss.
Americans and companies can participate in Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month by sharing efforts on social media with the #NoWastedFood hashtag, learning about USDA, EPA, and FDA programs and resources to reduce food loss and waste, or by joining corporate and business leaders who have made a public commitment to reducing food loss and waste in their U.S. operations by 50 percent by the year 2030.
