The Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet television, continue its five-part series on food insecurity issues impacting the Bronx and its residents.

Every day, more than a million New Yorkers live without enough food to eat. At the same time, millions of tons of edible food go directly from supermarket shelves to dumpsters to landfills.

But some organizations are working to bridge that gap.

“It doesn’t make any sense for people to be going hungry in the United States when we have all this food available,” said Kevin Mullins, co-founder of the Connecticut-based non-profit Food Rescue US.

 

Food Rescue US doesn’t operate in New York, but they’re very similar to City Harvest, which operates in the five boroughs. Mullins and his teams of volunteers pick up high quality food donations from businesses like caterers and grocers and bring the food to those in need.

Mullins said that they’ve saved soup kitchens and food pantries tens of thousands of dollars in food costs, and that for every dollar donated to their organization to cover overhead costs, they can rescue 20 meals’ worth of food. “It was like turning a tap on and not being able to turn it off,” Mullins said of discarded food. “We knew there was a lot of food going to waste… we had no idea what we were in for.”

Businesses in New York City throw away roughly 650,000 tons of food every year, a large percentage of which is still high quality food that could be eaten. Mullins said many businesses want to donate food, but are worried about repercussions. “One of the first reactions we almost always hear is, ‘Oh, we would love to help but we can’t because we don’t want to be held liable,’” Mullins said.

The federal Good Samaritan Act protects businesses from this. It states that organizations serving the needy in good faith can’t be held liable for the transfer of goods. Because of the legislation, Mullins said, “we’re able to, with confidence, say ‘no, actually you’re protected by federal law.’” To be clear though, needy families aren’t being fed garbage. All donations have to meet legal standards. Under New York State law, donated food must be inspected by the donor before giving it away to ensure it is fit for human consumption. If businesses don’t inspect it carefully, they may be liable for bad food that’s donated.

In New York City, not only are businesses protected from liability when donating food, they’re also, in some cases, required to dispose of food waste more responsibly. Food service establishments, manufacturers, and wholesalers over a certain size are required by law to separate their organic waste.

The Foundation for New York’s Strongest — the non-profit arm of the city Department of Sanitation (DSNY) — works with businesses to cut back on their food waste through prevention, recovery and recycling efforts. In 2017, the foundation hosted its first Food Waste Fair where businesses could discuss cost effective ways to reduce the amount of food that goes unused, donate remaining edible food, or compost additional organic waste.

A recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental advocacy group, suggests that the city could meet as much as 23 percent of its meal gap if it donated excess food rather than throwing it away.

According to the NRDC, businesses waste perfectly edible food because they overstock shelves, discard food a few days before its sell-by date, or are forced to buy in bulk from retailers.

Consumers expect to see overflowing aisles of unblemished produce, but this means businesses have to stock more than they can sell, according to the report. This can have enormous economic costs. The USDA estimates that wasted produce costs US retailers more than $15 billion annually. The most common foods to be discarded are produce, dairy, and meat — the same fresh items lower-income households throughout the country have the least access to.

Businesses aren’t the only ones who feel the economic cost of food waste. The NRDC says the average four-person household in the US wastes 1,000 pounds of food, worth about $1,500 every year. Most household food waste comes from buying too much or throwing away food that’s still good, even though it’s past the printed expiration date.

New York offers educational resources for residents to help them reduce food waste. The state Department of Environmental Conservation suggests freezing foods or preparing them right away to prevent spoilage. They also offer online resources to check the shelf life of various items.

While food waste can be a financial burden, it also takes a toll on the environment. Food waste produces roughly the same amount of greenhouse gases as 37 million cars. The NRDC says the best way to cut back on emissions is to donate the large amount of edible food before it hits a landfill.

When food can’t be salvaged, however, there may still be more sustainable ways to get rid of it. Composting can help scale back greenhouse gas emissions because food is no longer going to landfills where it produces methane gas.

New York City is rolling out its organic waste recycling program. Its goal is to reach all residents by the end of this year. Building landlords, their management companies, and homeowners in participating neighborhoods can request a brown bin for food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste. DSNY says the scraps collected will be turned into compost or natural gas to fuel vehicles or power homes.

Mullins of Food Rescue US said the environmental impact is huge, but it wasn’t what drove him to start his group. “It’s an absolutely amazing secondary benefit for us that at the same time we’re able to make a positive impact on the environment,” he said.