Grassley, Durbin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Curb Food Waste

WASHINGTON– Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced the bipartisanReduce Food Loss and Waste Actto prevent and reduce food waste across the country. Each year, the U.S. produces and imports 237 million tons of food, but 31 percent of this food is never sold or eaten, while millions of Americans experience food insecurity.
“Too many families suffer from food insecurity. The Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa has demonstrated the economic and environmental benefits of reducing food waste, and Congress should act to build on this impactful work. Our legislation would recognize businesses for using excess food responsibly and incentivize others to improve their practices,”Grassley said.
“While millions of Americans face food insecurity, millions of tons of food waste end up in landfills every year and contribute to methane emissions that drive the climate crisis. We must address these crises for the sake of hungry families, our economy and our environment. Today, I’m reintroducing the bipartisanReduce Food Loss and Waste Actwith Senator Grassley to move our country toward more conscious consumption and curbing food waste,”Durbin said.
“Food waste continues to be a national concern for our communities, especially here in Iowa, where 22 percent of all waste going to our landfills is food. We look forward to working with Senators Durbin and Grassley to support theReduce Food Loss and Waste Actthrough our continued initiatives at the Iowa Waste Reduction Center,”said Mark Nook, President of the University of Northern Iowa.
Specifically, theReduce Food Loss and Waste Actwould establish a “Food Loss and Waste Reduction Certification,” and direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create:
The “Food Loss and Waste Reduction Certification” would be similar to existing certifications, such as ENERGY STAR and the BioPreferred Program. TheReduce Food Loss and Waste Actwould direct USDA to promote the certification to ensure that consumers are informed about which businesses and organizations have received it.
TheReduce Food Loss and Waste Acthas support from the University of Northern Iowa, National Restaurant Association and Consumer Brands Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, World Wildlife Fund, Too Good To Go, Kellanova and FMI – The Food Industry Association.
Background:
Food waste has significant economic, environmental and social impacts. More than $440 billion is spent annually to produce and dispose of food that is never consumed or sold. Sending uneaten food to landfills or incinerators uses up more than 20 trillion liters of water, which is equivalent to the annual water use of 50 million homes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Additionally, just one-third of food waste, if saved from disposal, could feed the 47 million Americans, including 14 million children, who are suffering from food insecurity, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
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