Dive Summary:
- The Food Waste Reduction Alliance released a study that illustrates the large disparity between food waste recycling between manufacturers versus retailers and wholesalers.
- Food manufacturers donated or recycled 94.6% of food matter while retailers were able to do the same for only 55.6% of its food waste.
- Three-fourths of food refuse from manufacturers was used for animal feed while retailers generally donated or composted excess food material.
From the article:
"The food manufacturing, retail and wholesale industries together sent an estimated 4.1 billion pounds of food waste to incinerators or landfills..."
"Numerous locations and diverse product offerings create logistical barriers for recycling in the retail and wholesale sector, challenges not faced by manufacturers, which generate more food waste per location"
"It's important to find more ways to keep food and food waste out of landfills, identify the challenges that prevent us from doing so, and develop responsible policies to assist in these efforts."
