National

Liability Protections | Tax Incentives

April 2022

Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill

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.

History and Legacy of the U.S. Good Samaritan Food Donation Law

Recovery

Liability Protections

January 2022

Book Chapter in Food Loss and Waste Policy: From Theory to Practice (Busetti and Pace eds., 2022).

The Role of Policy in Food Loss and Waste

Liability Protections | Tax Incentives | Food Waste Deterrence Policies

June 2021

Book Chapter in The Economics of Food Loss in the Produce Industry, Taylor & Francis (Minor, Thornsbury, and Mishra eds., 2019).

Leveraging Child Nutrition Reauthorization to Reduce Food Waste

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.

Defining Upcycled Foods: A definition for Use Across Industry, Government, and Academia

January 2020

This document provides a standardized, workable definition of the term “upcycled food” developed by the Upcycled Foods Definition Task Force.

Date Labels: The Case for Federal Legislation

June 2019

Confusing, inconsistent, and opaque date labels contribute significantly to America’s food waste crisis. Existing efforts from state and industry actors are a step in the right direction, but these initiatives alone are not a comprehensive solution. Federal legislation is necessary to establish a uniform date labeling system that requires use of standard labels on all food products. A uniform federal system that clearly distinguishes between food quality and food safety will alleviate confusion, reduce food waste, and save consumer dollars, while also reducing burdens on manufacturers and retailers stemming from inconsistent state date labeling requirements.

Misunderstood Food Date Labels and Reported Food Discards: A Survey of US Consumer Attitudes and Behaviors

Date Labeling | Not Really Expired | Consumer Education

March 2019

Misunderstanding the meaning of food date labels is strongly associated with reports of more frequent food discards. This paper discusses the results of a survey providing policy-relevant insights about how Americans use and perceive date labels, and about language used in labeling that may be most effective at communicating desired messages to consumers. As date labeling becomes standardized, this research underlines the need for a strong accompanying communications campaign, and highlights a particular need to reach those ages 18–34.

Don’t Waste, Donate: Enhancing Food Donations Through Federal Policy

Prevention | Recovery

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Tax Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations

March 2017

A number of federal laws and policies strive to enhance food recovery, yet many are out of touch with the evolving landscape of food donation and the effectiveness of others is limited by a number of barriers. This policy paper presents actions the federal government can take to better align federal laws and policies with the objective of increasing donation of safe surplus food.

ReFED Policy Finder

January 2017

Since 2017, FLPC and ReFED have partnered together on the Policy Finder, a tool which provides information on six policy areas that affect food waste nationwide: Date Labeling, Tax Incentives, Liability Protections, Food Safety for Food Donations, Animal Feed, and Organic Waste Bans. In addition to state laws, the Policy Finder provides an overview of current federal policies, proposed federal policies, and future policy goals. The Policy Finder is meant to be a tool for nonprofits, businesses, and government officials to understand current policies in their jurisdiction and nationwide and use this knowledge to advocate for better policies.

Keeping Food Out of the Landfill

Prevention | Recovery

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Tax Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations

October 2016

This toolkit was developed in response to the growing state and local interest in adopting policies to reduce the amount of food that goes to waste. This toolkit surveys eight different policy areas that state and local governments can examine as methods to reduce food waste and increase food recovery. This toolkit also provides information about the relevant federal laws, because they often serve as a legal floor, on which states can layer additional protections or opportunities. This toolkit should be useful to legislators on the state and local levels and their staff members, to the vast array of potential food donors (including large and small businesses, farmers, food producers, manufacturers, schools, institutions, and end consumers), and to activists and concerned citizens seeking to use policy to reduce food waste. The suggestions and highlighted best practices are intended to provide context and resources for state and local actors as they seek to improve their local food recovery landscape.

Leftovers for Livestock: A Legal Guide for Using Food Scraps as Animal Feed

Recycling

Food Scraps for Animal Feed

August 2016

This paper provides guidance to food scrap generators, farmers, and other stakeholders interested in using food scraps as animal feed by discussing federal and state regulations bearing on animal feed safety. This paper also lays out a core set of considerations for those interested in feeding food scraps to animal feed.

Article on Consumer Perception of Date Labels

May 2016

This article summarizes the findings of a consumer survey gathering insights into consumer perceptions of food date labels. The 2016 survey captured responses from a demographically representative sample of 1,029 adults. The questions posed were part of a CARAVAN® omnibus survey that is conducted twice a week by ORC International and the findings are one piece of a larger analysis of consumer perceptions of date labels.

Federal Enhanced Tax Deduction for Food Donation

Tax Incentives

April 2016

This guide provides an overview of the general federal tax deductions available for businesses that donate food, explains how the enhanced tax deduction is calculated, and reviews the additional requirements for businesses to receive this enhanced tax deduction.

Op-Ed: Is that milk past its ‘sell by’ date? Drink it anyway.

February 2016

Op-Ed on the impact of food date labeling by Emily Broad Leib

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

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.

The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to FW in America