From Community Composting to National Strategies: Blueprints for Food Loss and Waste Reduction at ReFED’s Food Waste Summit

A man leans over a row of flowers growing in a field on a farm.

Compost Crew CEO Ben Parry in a row of intercropped nasturtiums on the ReFED field trip.

As Dana Gunders puts it, “food waste is a dumb problem.” As Executive Director of ReFED, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending food loss and waste, Gunders knows that food waste is also a solvable problem. With approximately 38% of food in our supply chain going to waste — costing roughly $218 billion each year — the need for food waste reduction is overwhelming from an equity, economic, and environmental perspective. While these numbers are shocking, it’s easy to get lost in the national statistics and fail to see the immense amount of community-driven change happening all around us. 

Maddie Ramey, of Eco City Farms (ECO) in Prince George County, Maryland, reminded me of this as we walked past rows of tomatoes intercropped with cempazuchitl (marigold) for pest management, and corn planted with beans and squash in the Three Sisters trio to protect and nourish each other. Along with 50 other attendees of ReFED’s annual Food Waste Summit this June, our field trip ended next to ECO’s joint compost program with Compost Crew. The mounds of decomposing material are made from ECO’s on-farm organic material and food scraps from their local community. ECO’s work and partnerships show the intersection of equity with food loss and waste as they are actively increasing access to healthy food while reducing food waste going to landfill.  

A group of people stand in front of a sign for a food waste conference.

Our Waste Programs Manager Rose Benjamin, second from left, with Compass Group colleagues.

Start Small and Be Coordinated 

Touring ECO demonstrated how solvable the issue can be—there are straightforward ways to address this complex issue when we’re coordinated and thoughtful about outcomes. I was glad to be among over 700 people at ReFED’s Food Waste Summit who convened to share strategies on food waste reduction across local and federal levels and between public and private sectors. This year’s summit — the largest yet — highlighted the growing momentum of food waste reduction nationally and asserted that solutions to curb food waste aren’t found in a “silver bullet,” but rather in the many small and coordinated efforts across and between sectors.  

A man speaks at a podium with a large screen next to him projecting his image.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack delivers the keynote speech at ReFED’s conference.

We had the honor of hearing from the USDA Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, who announced the publication of the finalized “National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics” and their expansion of the Food Loss and Waste Champions (of which Bon Appétit is a member). The National Strategy drives progress for reaching the National Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. The multi-pronged strategy focuses on increasing messages to consumers; funding a new Center for Research, Behavioral Economics, and Extension on Food Loss and Waste; and working with farmers and technical assistance organizations to reduce on-farm food loss. 

 As Secretary Vilsack remarked, the National Strategy has the potential to guide federal policies, such as the Farm Bill, while acting as an accountability tool for change. He also noted the importance of understanding who carries the messages from the National Strategy and how top-down messaging can dissuade community involvement, which, while critical to reaching our shared goals around food waste reduction, can often be overlooked in favor of sweeping national or companywide goals.  

On-the-Ground Connections 

The Summit gave us an opportunity to learn and celebrate these national commitments, but perhaps more importantly, a chance to learn from folks working directly on the ground, like at ECO. During our tour of the 4-acre nonprofit urban teaching farm, attendees learned how ECO’s staff teach farmers and community members how to grow food, while sharing their bounty of produce to community members through affordable weekly farm shares, on-farm stands, and a farmers’ market.  Their small-scale ASP compost system with Compost Crew creates a closed loop not only within their farm, but also for local businesses and community members by taking their food scraps as well.  

ECO is just one example of successful community partnerships among many in Maryland. Notably, Baltimore’s Food Waste Recovery Strategy and Food Matters Program, a joint program between the City of Baltimore and the Natural Resources Defense Council, highlights the value of strong public-private partnerships to enact change. Through their policy blueprint and collaboration, Baltimore engages with community partners and residents to center community needs within their efforts to reduce food loss and waste, all while providing a framework for other cities to adopt. 

I left ReFED’s Food Waste Summit inspired to continue breaking down sector-silos and find opportunities for collaboration. While our current food system is laden with structural barriers, through my work as Bon Appétit’s waste programs manager, I’m glad to be part of the growing fight to attack food loss and waste while creating opportunities for partnership and change.