Current state policies are insufficient to reduce food waste. A recent study indicates that states are not meeting the reduction targets set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The U.S. produces more food waste than nearly every other country, with the exception of just two. In an effort to combat this issue, the federal government aims to cut food waste in half by 2030 relative to 2016 levels, targeting an annual waste of approximately 164 pounds per person. However, a new study published in Nature Food and led by researchers from the University of California, Davis, highlights that existing state policies are inadequate to meet these goals. Since 2016, food waste per person has not decreased; in fact, it has risen.
“With just five years remaining until 2030, it’s quite concerning to see how little progress has been achieved,” remarked Sarah Kakadellis, the lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis’s Department of Food Science and Technology. “We need to establish more comprehensive policies urgently.”
The study focused on how state policies compare with federal objectives. Each state decides which policies to put in place. The researchers found that state initiatives primarily support food waste recycling methods, such as composting and anaerobic digestion, rather than focusing on prevention and redistribution strategies, like food donations or converting food into animal feed. In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revised its definition of food waste to exclude recycling in order to better capture its environmental and ethical implications.
“A significant part of the American population faces food insecurity, yet we waste over a third of the food we produce,” added Kakadellis. “Rather than recycling surplus food, we should prioritize redirecting it to those in need.”
While recycling and composting can mitigate landfill waste, they come with their own environmental costs. The resources used for food production are still consumed even when food is recycled.
“Wasting food means wasting the resources like energy, water, and fertilizers used to produce that food. Moreover, wasted food is responsible for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions,” explained Edward Spang, the principal investigator, who is an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology and directs the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis.
Assessing the impact of policies
The researchers scrutinized the potential for states to reduce food waste through four areas of policy: prevention (such as date labeling), rescue (including liability protections and tax breaks), repurposing (like sending food for animal feed), and recycling (such as organic waste bans and recycling regulations). They found that recycling policies provide the greatest potential for waste diversion. However, even when accounting for recycling, many states still did not meet the target. Only California, Vermont, and Arizona were on track to reduce waste to the goal of 164 pounds per person.
According to the revised EPA definition that eliminates recycling from consideration, states could possibly divert between 11 and 30 pounds per person. Washington state could eliminate nearly a third of its food waste, with California close behind at 26%.
On average, Americans would still produce about 328 pounds of food waste per person each year, which is double the federal target. Despite having the lowest diversion potential, Arkansas was the closest state to meeting the federal goal of producing only 164 pounds of food waste per person by 2030. Kakadellis emphasized that it’s essential to consider current food waste levels while evaluating diversion capacity.
For instance, Arizona possesses the highest capability to divert food waste within its current policies, but it also generates a large amount of waste. Conversely, Arkansas produces significantly less waste than other states and is nearer to the national target, making any further reductions more challenging.
Looking beyond policy
Kakadellis suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the increase in food waste. Initially, food waste decreased as more individuals prepared meals at home and attended fewer catered events, but now many may be returning to previous habits.
“When state efforts concentrate on recycling, it’s easy to feel as though the food waste issue is being tackled,” said Kakadellis. “Recycling food waste is essential, but it should not be the sole or primary focus.”
She argued that creating policies should prioritize prevention and food rescue initiatives.
Other contributors to the study included Selina Mao and Asch Harwood from ReFED.
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
