Dive Brief:

• Fresh produce is transported from Mexico to Arizona, where the food is inspected — and some rejected — at the border crossing. 
• Instead of being tossed into the nearby landfill, the rejected food is brought to the warehouse of a local food bank where it is distributed to families in need across the country. 
• Borderlands Food Bank in Nogales, AZ, diverts 35 to 40 million pounds of fresh food annually from entering landfills. 

Dive Insight:

Borderlands was founded in the 1990s on the premise of providing emergency food for people; when Yolanda Soto was named executive director 20 years ago, she was shocked at the volume of food entering landfills. Current figures estimate 20% of the population in Arizona is hungry.

To begin diverting the fruits and vegetables from landfills, Soto began contacting produce distribution warehouses and requested they call the food bank before disposing of the rejected food. The program now means the food is available at Borderlands locally, in addition to being shipped to hunger-relief organizations across the country.