USDA hosts first-ever virtual fair on food waste reduction innovations and leaders | Local
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host a virtual Food Loss and Waste Innovation Fair on May 26 from noon-4 p.m.
The event is free and will feature virtual booths where visitors can learn about state-of-the-art solutions from business, government, and academic innovators.
“In the U.S., more than one-third of all available food goes uneaten through food loss or waste,” said Jean Buzby, USDA Food Loss and Waste Liaison. “USDA is proud to highlight public and private leaders who are transforming the food system and combatting food loss and waste.”
The Innovation Fair will present businesses and research teams that have received USDA funding to research or commercialize cutting-edge food loss and waste solutions. Additionally, several USDA agencies — such as the Agricultural Research Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service — will discuss their food loss and waste activities in research, measurement, education, funding, and outreach. Other presenters include several U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions, businesses that have committed to reducing food loss and waste in their operations by 50 percent by 2030. The 2030 Champions initiative is co-led by USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The presentations will include a pilot community compost project highlighting compost-to-farmland demonstration study that engages community gardeners through education and outreach, and reduces and diverts food waste from landfills.
A small business innovation that developed a sanitizer made from ozone nanobubbles to wash harvested produce. This technology has great potential to increase food safety and extend produce shelf life.
a patent-pending technology to dry and process brewers grains into healthy, high-quality flours, transforming food waste into value-added — and tasty — products.
The presentation will also showcase a global food service corporation that has changed their operational engagement strategy to cut food waste in half by 2025.
The USDA Food Loss and Waste Innovation Fair is among the individual and collective efforts of USDA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to work towards the national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030.
