Two organizations in Claneil’s Critical Issue Fund have partnered and released a major report outlining policy recommendations for food waste reduction in Pennsylvania. Moving Food Waste Forward was authored by staff and students of Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, and distributed by Philabundance.
The report emphasizes the need for policymakers to consider two key areas of food waste reduction efforts. Recycling laws have made a significant impact in states where they have been enacted by cutting down on the single largest contributor to landfills: food. Standardized date labels are being advocated by food waste reduction leaders to more accurately reflect health and safety standards. It is estimated that an average family of four in the United States spends $1,500 annually on food they do not eat. Expiration labels play a major role in contributing to this waste.