Government Grants and Incentives

This resource provides information on national and local grants and incentives designed to boost food donation, especially where tax benefits alone are insufficient.

Achieving Zero Food Waste: A State Policy Toolkit

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

State

May 2023

In response to constituent demand, state leaders are at the forefront of advancing efforts to tackle food waste across the United States—ensuring food makes it to those experiencing food insecurity, creating jobs and economic opportunities, while also addressing environmental harms and climate change. FLPC, in collaboration with the Zero Food Waste Coalition, created this toolkit to similarly embolden officials and advocates from across the country to learn from each other’s successes and accelerate their own leadership and impact. This toolkit contains a range of tried and tested policies that states can use to prevent food waste and keep food out of landfills and incinerators.

Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

National

April 2022

Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill details how Congress can act to reduce food waste and recommends specific provisions to include in the 2023/2024 Farm Bill. Given the bipartisan support for measures to reduce food waste, the farm bill provides an exciting opportunity to invest in food waste reduction efforts for greater social, economic, and environmental benefits. This report breaks food waste recommendations into four categories, based on whether they are intended to prevent food waste, increase food recovery, recycle food scraps through composting or anaerobic digestion, or coordinate food waste reduction efforts.

Leveraging Child Nutrition Reauthorization to Reduce Food Waste

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

National

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Government Grants and Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations | Federal Advocacy

May 2021

This report outlines opportunities for Congress to leverage the next Child Nutrition Reauthorization legislation to reduce food waste in federal child nutrition programs. It also highlights several administrative opportunities through which the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and the Food and Drug Administration could prioritize food waste reduction independent of Congressional action. This report suggests general changes to the Child Nutrition Act and changes specific to the child nutrition programs through the NSLP/SBP, CACFP, and WIC.

Good Laws, Good Food: Putting Local Food Policy to Work for Our Communities

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

State

October 2017

Section VIII of this toolkit discusses state and local policies to decrease and recover food that would otherwise be wasted.

Moving Food Waste Forward Policy Recommendations for Next Steps in Pennsylvania

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

State

September 2017

The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic was commissioned by Philabundance to develop this report outlining legislative strategies and regulatory opportunities that could reduce food waste in Pennsylvania. The goal of this report is to understand how to build on best practices from across the country and address the unique strengths and challenges within Pennsylvania.

Moving Food Waste Forward | Policy Recommendations for Next Steps in Massachusetts

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

State

February 2017

In October of 2016, the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic released Keeping Food Out of the Landfill: Policy Ideas for States and Localities, a resource that provides detailed information on how states and local governments can contribute to local food waste reduction. This report applies and refines that resource to provide information and recommendations specific to Massachusetts stakeholders. Massachusetts stakeholders can use the information in this report to determine key priorities for next steps in policy change to further reduce the amount of food wasted in the state.

US Food Loss and Waste Policy Action Plan for Congress and the Administration

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

National

Date Labeling | Government Grants and Incentives | Consumer Education

December 2013

FLPC, ReFED, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) compiled these recommendations for the Biden administration and Congress to take ambitious action to reduce FLW.