The USDA recognizes the impacts of food loss and food waste on food security and the environment. USDA, in concert with agency partners, is working toward the goal of reducing food loss and food waste by 50 percent by 2030.
In the latest effort in reduction activities, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is leading a national Community Foods Project (CFP) Food Loss and Waste Training and Technical Assistance Grants Program, funded through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). A total of $8 million is being provided to 14 organizations across the nation.
The program supports projects that align with the National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics, released in June 2024. The program prioritizes preventing food from becoming waste, diverting edible food to people through donation or upcycling, and feeding animals.
Fourteen organizations have been awarded funding to both reduce food loss and waste, and educate a variety of audiences about their reduction techniques. These organizations are diverse in size, geographic location, and in their focus on one or more parts of the food supply chain.
More than 66% of U.S. preschoolers attend a childcare setting daily, and up to 40% of the milk served there is wasted. The proposed study aims to estimate and reduce preschoolers' milk waste in childcare centers in Illinois that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
"We are going to be developing a toolkit for child care providers that will help them to reduce food waste in childcare centers while also not pressuring the children to finish their foods off of their plate.
The CACFP is a federal nutrition program that reimburses childcare providers for serving healthy meals and snacks to children. The CACFP requires participating childcare providers to serve milk at breakfast and lunch. They also encourage the providers to serve milk at afternoon snack time. I'm trying to look at if we can make a small change where the providers can serve water during lunch, and then serve milk at breakfast and afternoon snack, to see if that reduces or has any effect on the children's milk consumption plus the milk waste."
Dig Deeper
Explore other Food Loss and Waste funded projects at: www.sare.org/resources/food-loss-and-waste/.
For more information about this grant program, contact Lisa Johnson, National SARE Food Loss and Waste Grant Manager at FLW@sare.org.