Federal Interagency Collaboration to Reduce Food Loss and Waste

On this page:

• Background
• Federal Interagency Strategy to Reduce Food Waste
• Interagency Formal Agreements with Partners
• EPA/USDA/FDA Resources to Reduce Food Loss and Waste
• Additional Federal Resources Related to Reducing Wasted Food

Background 

On September 16, 2015, EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal, the first-ever domestic goal to reduce food loss and waste. The goal seeks to reduce food loss and waste by 50 percent by the year 2030. By acting on this goal, the U.S. can reduce the climate change and environmental impacts associated with food loss and waste while improving food security and saving money for families and businesses. 

In October 2018, EPA, USDA, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed a formal agreement (pdf)(579 KB) to affirm their shared commitment to reduce food loss and waste, coordinate action to leverage government resources, and improve communication efforts to educate Americans on the impacts and importance of reducing food loss and waste. In December 2020, the three agencies renewed the agreement (pdf)(724 KB), reaffirming their commitment. 

Individually and collectively, the three agencies are working toward reducing food loss and waste. Their actions include research, community investments, education and outreach, voluntary programs, public-private partnerships, tool development, technical assistance, event participation, and policy discussion.

Federal Interagency Strategy to Reduce Food Waste

In April 2019, the three agencies developed the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Federal Interagency Strategy to reduce food waste, prioritizing six action areas in which to coordinate efforts. FY 2019-2020 Federal Interagency Strategy to Reduce Food Waste (pdf)(364 KB).

The Strategy’s action areas were: 

• Priority Area 1: Enhance Interagency Coordination.
• Priority Area 2: Increase Consumer Education and Outreach Efforts.
• Priority Area 3: Improve Coordination and Guidance on Food Loss and Waste Measurement.
• Priority Area 4: Clarify and Communicate Information on Food Safety, Food Date Labels, and Food Donations.
• Priority Area 5: Collaborate with Private Industry to Reduce Food Loss and Waste Across the Supply Chain.
• Priority Area 6: Encourage Food Waste Reduction by Federal Agencies in their Respective Facilities.

EPA, USDA, and FDA  developed annual federal interagency inventories of actions under the Strategy:

• April 2019 - April 2020 Inventory of Actions (pdf)(337 KB).
• May 2020 – April 2021 Inventory of Actions (pdf)(335 KB).

Interagency Formal Agreements with Partners

ReFED

ReFED is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending food loss and waste across the U.S. food system by advancing data-driven solutions. The organization works with a network of the nation’s leading business, nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders committed to reducing U.S. food waste. 

In April 2019, EPA, USDA, and FDA signed a formal agreement with ReFED, Inc. (ReFED) to leverage resources to evaluate the technical implementation of strategies aimed at reducing food waste in the U.S. In September 2021, the three agencies renewed the formal agreement (pdf)(375 KB) with ReFED for an additional three years.

Food Waste Reduction Alliance

The Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) represents three major sectors of the supply chain - food manufacturing, retail, and restaurant and food service – and pursues three goals: reducing the amount of food waste generated; increasing the amount of safe, nutritious food donated to those in need; and diverting food waste from landfills. 

In October 2019, EPA, USDA, and FDA signed a formal agreement (PDF) with the Food Waste Reduction Alliance (pdf)(1.6 MB). Through this partnership, the three agencies formalized industry education and outreach efforts with the Grocery Manufacturers Association (now the Consumer Brands Association), the Food Marketing Institute (now the Food Industry Association), and the National Restaurant Association, the three founding partners of the Food Waste Reduction Alliance. 

EPA/USDA/FDA Resources to Reduce Food Loss and Waste

Main Agency Webpages

• Visit EPA’s Sustainable Management of Food website.
• Visit USDA’s Food Loss and Waste website.
• Visit FDA’s Food Loss and Waste website.

Funding Opportunities

• Learn about EPA funding opportunities for reducing wasted food.
• Learn about USDA funding opportunities for projects and research on reducing food loss and waste.

Newsletters

• Sign up for “In the Loop with EPA: Circular Economy Updates."
• Sign up for the USDA Food Loss and Waste Newsletter.

Video

• Watch a video of EPA, USDA, and FDA senior leaders speak about the importance of reducing food loss and waste (September 2021). This will be the first nine minutes and 34 seconds of the video.

Additional Federal Resources Related to Reducing Wasted Food

• Food Service Guidelines for Federal Facilities (pdf)(3.3 MB) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017).
• A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2020).