USDA Announces New Food Loss and Waste Funding

On September 20^th, USDA announced $25 million in investment to address food loss and waste.  The funding is a part of $123.5 million in investments that the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has committed since 2017.  The new funding will support the Community Food Projects (CFP) Competitive Grants Program to reduce food loss and waste; get surplus wholesome food to individuals; and develop linkages between food producers, providers and food recovery organizations. The primary goals of CFP grants are to provide communities a voice in food system decisions and to support local food markets to fully benefit the community, increase food and nutrition security, and stimulate local economies. Speaking on the investment, USDA Food Loss and Waste Liaison Jean Buzby commented, “Grants supported by this investment will reduce the amount of excess food going to waste and help make wholesome and nutritious foods available to those who need it most. Now that’s a win-win.”