WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) today introduced the New Opportunities for Technological Innovation, Mitigation, and Education To Overcome Waste or NO TIME TO Waste Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would reduce food loss and waste in the United States. Cutting down on food waste will increase food security, foster productivity, promote resource and energy conservation, and address climate change.
“Food waste and hunger harm more than 34 million Americans and disproportionately impact rural communities in Delaware and across our nation,” said Senator Coons. “My bipartisan NO TIME TO Waste Act strengthens collaborative efforts between federal agencies, supports public-private partnerships, and raises public awareness about the impact of food loss. By addressing food loss and waste, we can improve children’s health, fight malnutrition, and even protect our environment without putting more strain on family farms across the country.”
“Kansas is the breadbasket of the country, helping feed the nation and the world,” said Senator Moran. “However, nearly 40 percent of food produced in the U.S. goes to waste while millions of Americans suffer from hunger. This legislation would require collaboration between agencies to help cut food waste and support partnerships to feed those in need.”
“It’s estimated that 30-40 percent of the entire United States food supply is discarded every year. This is bad for the environment, extremely costly, and is a lost opportunity to help feed the millions of Americans who are food insecure,” said Representative Pingree. “To combat food waste and hunger, we need whole-of-government action. The NO TIME TO Waste Act would strengthen the federal government’s approach to food loss by tackling waste in every step of our food system—from prevention research and education to composting and donation programs.”
“Each year, around 40 percent of all food produced in the United States is lost or wasted despite the fact that more than 34 million Americans, including 9 million children, go hungry. When it comes to combating hunger, there is no time to waste. That’s why I’m proud to join Congresswoman Pingree and Senators Coons and Moran in introducing the bicameral, bipartisan NO TIME TO Waste Act. This commonsense legislation will help cut food loss and waste through federal coordination, research, innovation, and education. This bill is an important step to eliminating food waste and hunger, goals that we all share, regardless of politics,”said Representative Lawler.
Every year, around 40 percent of all food produced in the United States is lost or wasted – a total of 119 billion pounds of food. Meanwhile, more than 34 million Americans, including 9 million children, are food insecure, often in rural communities that struggle to cope with widespread hunger. In the United States, food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, generating methane gas as it decomposes, a greenhouse gas approximately twenty-five percent more potent than carbon dioxide. As a result, the United States committed in the 2018 Farm Bill to cut food loss and waste (FLW) in half by the year 2030 through the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal, the first-ever domestic goal to reduce FLW.
The NO TIME TO Waste Act would:
This legislation has received the endorsement of the Zero Food Waste Coalition(which includes the Natural Resources Defense Council, Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, World Wildlife Fund, ReFED), Bread for the World, Upcycled Food Association, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Global Cold Chain Alliance, Plastic Free Delaware/Zero Waste First State, and Health Care Without Harm.
“The NO TIME TO Waste Act acknowledges the critical role that food loss and waste prevention efforts can play in addressing both the climate crisis and food insecurity,” said Emily Broad Leib, Faculty Director, Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic. “Better coordination amongst government agencies, support for infrastructure and organizational policies to support food waste reduction and food recovery efforts, and consumer education and awareness campaigns are meaningful steps toward a future with a more sustainable food system. We are thrilled to support this bill, which is aligned with the recommendations in our report on Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill. We thank Senator Coons and Senator Moran for their leadership on the effort.”
“Up to 40% of food going to waste in this country is a big problem, and big problems require big solutions,” said Yvette Cabrera, Director of Food Waste, NRDC, member of the Zero Food Waste Coalition. “This bill offers that up by creating an office within USDA dedicated to food loss and waste, supporting more robust research, educating consumers, and providing more critical funding and collaboration. With these new systems and processes, the nation is better positioned to reach its goal of 50% reduction in food waste by 2030.”
“It is estimated that nearly 40 percent of our food supply in the United States is going to waste,” said Pete Pearson, Senior Director, Food Waste, World Wildlife Fund, member of the Zero Food Waste Coalition. “Along with this waste comes the squandering of the underlying land, water, and energy resources associated with food production and significant greenhouse gas emissions when food decomposes in landfills. The bipartisan NO TIME TO Waste Act provides commonsense solutions to address the issue of food waste and deliver environmental, social, and economic benefits.”
“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is excited to see a concrete, bipartisan plan for greenhouse gas reductions from food waste that invests in community and regional coordination around efficient food recovery efforts to distribute healthy and safe upcycled food products,” said Hannah Quigley, Local and Regional Food Policy Specialist, and Cathy Day, Climate Policy Coordinator. “These provisions provide an effective, easily adoptable set of pathways for municipalities nationwide to move towards substantial emissions reductions, especially from methane."
"Food waste is a systemwide problem that requires systemwide action to solve. Government policy plays a critical role in driving that action forward – through coordination and collaboration, research and education, funding, and more,” saidDana Gunders, Executive Director, ReFED, member of the Zero Food Waste Coalition. “The NO TIME TO Waste Act will provide important resources to support the food system's efforts to reduce food waste and will help make sure that food goes to its highest and best use of feeding people."
“Plastic Free Delaware (aka Zero Waste First State) applauds our Delaware Senator Coons, and Senator Moran, for pursuing the goals inherent in the NO TIME TO Waste Act,” said Dee Durham, Plastic Free Delaware/Zero Waste First State. “The Act would bolster our efforts on the ground in Delaware to reduce food loss and divert organics from Delaware’s landfills, saving Delawareans money, conserving resources, and reducing factors which lead to climate change.”