Food Waste Research Webinar Archive
This webinar, recorded on November 17th, 2021, gives an overview of the latest research on the environmental impacts of U.S. food waste and the potential benefits of meeting the EPA/USDA goal of halving food waste by 2030, as reported in EPA's forthcoming "From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of Food Waste" report.
Over one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten, wasting the resources used to produce it and creating a myriad of environmental impacts. Food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S., comprising 24 and 22 percent of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste, respectively. Reducing wasted food presents opportunities to increase food security, feed the world’s growing population more sustainably, preserve water availability and quality, and address climate change.
This presentation also highlights findings from EPA’s recent “Emerging Issues in Food Waste” report series, including information on how the following issues affect food waste recycling and the impact of food waste on human health and the environment:
- Plastics in food waste streams
- Persistent Chemicals (including PFAS) in food waste streams
- Pre-Processing Technologies (such as grinders and bio-digesters) used by businesses and institutions