FOOD WASTE REDUCTIONS

Problem

The United States generates more food waste than any other nation, even as hunger increases.

The scale of waste

• 30–40 percent of all U.S. food is wasted annually

• 60–80 million tons, or roughly 325 pounds per person

• Households throw away 20% of the groceries they purchase.

• Cost: ~$1,500 per family per year

Hunger persists

• 44 million Americans, including 1 in 5 children, face food insecurity

• Nearly 1 in 8 Oregonians rely on food assistance.

• Tribal, rural, and immigrant communities are hit hardest.

Climate impact

• Landfilled food releases methane — a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO₂

• If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third-largest emitter.

Farmers carry the burden

• Billions of pounds of edible produce are plowed under when:

  • Prices crash

  • Storage is full

  • Distribution fails

• Specialty crops spoil because processing capacity is inadequate.

• Farmers lose profit while families go hungry.

Current policies permit food waste even though sufficient food exists.

Solutions

1. Make wasting edible food the last resort

• Require grocers, wholesalers, and major kitchens to donate before disposal.

• Expand liability protections for donors.

• Tax credits for farmers and stores that donate

• Ban landfilling of edible surplus where donation or processing is feasible.

Result: More food donations, lower methane emissions, and incentives to donate surplus.

2. Build the infrastructure to move food

• Grants for:

  • Refrigerated trucks

  • Community cold storage

  • Food hubs in rural, tribal, and coastal regions

• Support shared community kitchens that turn rescued produce into meals.

• Invest in composting + anaerobic digestion for scraps.

Impact: Reduced food spoilage, increased food availability, local job creation, and significant landfill methane reductions.

3. Prevent waste before it happens

• Adopt one national food labeling standard:

  • “Best if used by” = quality

  • “Use by” = safety

• Fund education on storage, planning, and minimizing spoilage

• Support tech tools that help grocers/restaurants track inventory

• Incentives to:

  • Sell “ugly” or imperfect produce.

  • Expand gleaning networks

Result: Less unopened food waste, lower grocery costs, and less fresh food disposed of.

4. Support farmers and pay for surplus

• Create national farm-to-food-bank purchase programs.

• Fund gleaning crews that rescue crops left in fields.

• Grants for value-added processing:

  • Drying, freezing, canning, milling

• Expand local processing and distribution so Oregon products feed Oregonians.

Impact: Farmers maintain income during downturns; communities access fresh food; fewer farms are displaced.

5. Feed people where they are

• Universal free school meals

• Stronger SNAP + WIC, tied to real food prices

• SNAP match at farmers' markets and CSAs

• Mobile food delivery in rural + elder communities

• Support community fridges + mutual aid networks.

Result: Reduced hunger, improved educational outcomes, and better distribution of local food to households.

Oregon Strategy

From Congress, prioritize:

• Food hubs in Hood River, The Dalles, Hermiston, Bend

• Cold chain infrastructure statewide

• Support for:

  • Oregon Food Bank

  • Tribal and immigrant food justice groups

  • Small farms, orchards, fisheries, and processors

• Stop the USDA rules built only for corn, soy, and giant agribusiness.

Coordinate efforts among farmers, food banks, workers, tribes, and schools

to achieve a food-secure, low-waste Oregon.