Dive Brief:
- BJ’s Wholesale Club and the Community Food Bank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) announced BJ’s participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Food Recovery Challenge program.
- The food that is not sold at the wholesaler will be donated, rather than being dumped in a landfill. 31% of unsold food at supermarkets winds up in landfills.
- 14% of New Jersey residents don’t know if they will have access to food on a consistent basis; concurrently, more than 20% of waste discarded into landfills is food.
Dive Insight:
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) were present for the announcement, joining the EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck in putting a spotlight on Hunger Action month. The Food Recovery Challenge is a program that strives to reduce food waste while eradicating hunger. In May, 10 more institutions were added to the program, which now has over 800 active participants enrolled.
High profile groups have been getting in on the hunger movement over the last several years. In August 2013, all of the teams that make up the National Hockey League participated in a food recovery program, “Rock and Wrap It Up," also part of the EPA challenge. The purpose of Rock and Wrap It Up is to take uneaten food from event venues, entertainment complexes, and band hotels and wrap up and deliver the leftover items to shelters and charities.
