healthy food - DINE OR DUMP? - SIBEJO

Americans toss billions of dollars worth of food every year. A good portion of that is still safe to eat, but we don't because of confusion over expiration labels. Licensed dieticians say those dates are often mistaken as the deadline to toss. But many of the items are still safe to eat, far past what's labeled. Cheese typically lasts for a couple weeks; condiments can last a couple months; eggs are good three to five weeks after the expiration date. Congress is now considering the Food Date Labeling act of 2016,  which aims to clear up the food date dilemma with by adding a quality date and a safety date to let consumers know when the food is past its peak and when it becomes unsafe to eat. Currently the dates listed are merely guidelines for the manufacturer:

• "Sell by" dates are meant to let stores know when to pull the product from their shelves. Just make sure you purchase the product before the date passes.
• "Use by" dates mark when the item is at its peak quality.
• "Best by" dates are recommended for best flavor.

Source: KPMI, 7/19/16, Expiration Labels

healthy food - ATTACKING FOOD WASTE ON TWO FRONTS - SIBEJO

Celebrity chefs, including Tom Collichio, descended on Capitol Hill this week to testify about the roughly 70 billion pounds of food wasted annually in the United States.  They will join experts and advocates before the House Agriculture Committee, which is holding its first full hearing on the topic. The chefs urged lawmakers to support a bill sponsored by Representative Chellie Pingree, (D-Maine) that would adjust food labels with the goal of waste prevention. From there, the chefs head to the White House for a round-table discussion on food waste. Of course, they also ate--�recovered� food, pasture-raised beef tartare tendon, and trap-caught mackerel and Maryland oysters served with green garlic and herbs.

Source: NYT, 5/25/16, Celebrity Chefs Don't Waste Food

Scores of new companies are trying to spin profits out of food waste. Several start-ups are chasing ways to use food waste to make other edibles. Some are aiming to quickly distribute food that is about to be thrown out. And yet others are working to use every last ounce of ingredients. The business of food waste is not well tracked; most data available now is on funding for individual companies. But Back to the Roots, which sells products such as a mushroom-growing kit that uses coffee grounds, recently raised $5.8 million from individual investors like Michael Pollan. EcoScraps, which turns food waste into gardening products, has raised $13 million. Cerplus is an online go-between, linking farms and wholesalers with food on the verge of going to waste with restaurants and other businesses. The company started serving the Bay Area in January and now has shipped more than 13,000 pounds of food to more than 60 clients.

Source: NYT, 5/25/16, Food Waste for Profit

healthy food - FOOD SELL-BY DATES CREATE WASTE - SIBEJO

There are no federal standards for expiration dates, except for baby formula, and best-by or sell-by date have no basis in science �they�re a manufacturer�s best guess for when the food is likely to be freshest or at peak quality. Some food products could last a year or a year and a half past their �sell by� date. Because many American consumers don�t know that they throw out a lot of perfectly good food. Recent surveys of over 1,000 American consumers found that one-third believe expiration labels are federally regulated. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has introduced legislation aimed at combating the issue of misleading expiration dates at the federal level. He would create a national standard for expiration dates, requiring labels to clearly distinguish between foods that reach their peak freshness by a particular date and foods that are unsafe to eat after a certain date. The bill would also make sure that food may be donated even if it has passed its peak freshness.

Source: Think Progress, 5/18/16, Sell-By Bill; Washington Post, 5/19/16, Expiration Dates

This drove me crazy all those years I worked in food banking - so many people throwing out perfectly good food because of a date printed on the package!

Gloria

healthy food - WASTING FOOD WASTE - SIBEJO

Commentary from the leaders of Washington's DC Central Kitchen on the growing interest in preventing food waste calls for a broader approach to the issue than that merely finding more efficient ways to redistribute food from one place to another. Simply dumping excess food at nonprofits and shelters is problematic for a number of reasons. 

First, the irregular timing and quantities of food donation means nonprofits still face �feast or famine� cycles of donations that do little to improve their clients� food security. Second, most donations are simply measured in pounds. We must consider the hierarchy of food quality, and while daily donations of leftover breads and cupcakes have their place, a donation of lean protein or fresh vegetables is clearly more meaningful than one of empty starches. But while most food pantries are only equipped to move large quantities of shelf-stable canned and dry goods, handling produce and protein items requires significant refrigeration and processing capacity. 

Finally, free food, no matter where it comes from, will never end hunger, because hunger is a symptom of the more pernicious issue of poverty. The authors challenge those trying to solve the food waste issue to base their models around expanding opportunity for our most vulnerable neighbors, not just moving food from place to place.

Source: Spotlight on Poverty, 5/3/16, Food Waste

healthy food - FOOD RECOVERY FOCUS - SIBEJO

Last week, the US EPA spent Earth Day (April 22) focused on food waste. In 2015, the EPA and USDA set a national food waste reduction goal of 50% by 2030. About 40% of the nation�s food supply is lost or wasted; food loss and waste is estimated to cost retailers and consumers about $161 billion each year.

EPA�s strategy focuses on first reducing the production of surplus food, and then using excess food to feed hungry people, feed animals, produce energy, and improve soil through composting. Landfills are a last resort. Many states have implemented innovative laws and policies to address food recovery. In 2014, Massachusetts banned institutions and businesses that generate more than one ton of food and organic waste products per week from disposing these products in combustion facilities or landfills. Three other New England states, including Connecticut, and California, also require certain retailers and businesses to recycle food waste. To encourage food donation, several states�including Iowa, Colorado, and California�created a tax credit for farmers who donate food they produce to food pantries and food banks.

Source:  Council of State Governments, 4/22/16, Food Waste