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Montgomery County is recognizing Food Waste Prevention Week, Sept. 28 through Oct. 4, by highlighting efforts to prevent food waste, recover edible food, and help address food insecurity.
The Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the Montgomery County Food Council (MCFC) are leading the County’s recognition of the national week. Community partners will host events and activities throughout the week to highlight ways residents, businesses, and organizations can reduce food waste and help make sure good food reaches people who need it.
Food recovery, also known as food rescue, involves collecting edible, unsold food and distributing it through food assistance organizations. For example, grocery stores can donate food that is no longer available for sale but is still safe to eat. In Montgomery County, more than a dozen food assistance organizations work with food donors to recover and distribute surplus food to residents experiencing food insecurity.
“Food recovery is one of the clearest examples of how we can leverage public-private partnerships to maximize available resources, supporting neighbors in need while reducing the impact of our food system,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “The Office of Food Systems Resilience was established to build these exact types of systemic connections between hunger relief, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and economic development.”
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DEP’s goal is to reduce waste and increase recycling, aiming for zero waste. The County’s highest priority is to prevent or reduce the amount of waste generated in the first place. DEP estimates that nearly 95,000 tons of food scraps are thrown in the trash in Montgomery County each year. Some of this wasted food from retailers, restaurants, and other food businesses is edible and could be diverted from incineration and instead distributed to local households through food recovery.
To reduce food waste and increase donations of edible food, DEP raises awareness and provides education ways to reduce wasted food via its “Food is Too Good to Waste” campaign. This campaign provides information on ways to channel edible food to people experiencing food insecurity.
(Participants access food assistance services at So What Else, one of several organizations that rescues surplus food to feed community members)
Tips to Reduce Food Waste:
- Donate consumable foods to food rescue organizations, food pantries, and shelters
- Use leftovers in planning future meals.
- Serve smaller portion sizes.
“Reducing wasted food and ensuring that good, edible food is redirected for community members experiencing food insecurity are all important efforts that move us closer to zero waste and help fight climate change, too,” said Jennifer Macedonia, director of DEP.
The County also is investing in the infrastructure needed to recover more food. Through OFSR grant programs, the County has supported organizations with equipment such as refrigerated vehicles and cold storage to safely recover and distribute fresh, perishable food.
One grant recipient, So What Else, used County funding to purchase a refrigerated box truck.
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“Having a dedicated refrigerated box truck means we can respond more quickly to food recovery opportunities, safely transport perishable donations, and work more effectively with our nonprofit partners,” said Megan Joe, director of hunger relief for So What Else. “This investment strengthened our day-to-day operations while most importantly, giving us the long-term capacity to continue growing our food recovery work.”
OFSR also has supported the Montgomery County Food Council in bringing together food recovery organizations, food donors, and volunteers through the Food Recovery Collaborative. The collaborative provides an opportunity for organizations to share information, coordinate their efforts, and identify ways to make the food assistance network more effective.
“The need for food assistance has grown over the past year, as the cost of living has increased and more County families are struggling to make ends meet,” said Heather Bruskin, director of OFSR. “Food Waste Prevention Week helps to increase awareness community-wide of opportunities for County food businesses and residents to reduce food waste while also helping neighbors feed their families.”
For more information about Food Waste Prevention Week activities, visit the Montgomery County Food Council’s events page and So What Else’s Food Waste Prevention Week event information.
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Read the original article at mcdep
