NEW JERSEY—In response to startling food waste statistics, legislators have taken action and combat hunger and food waste throughout the state through a new Anti-Hunger package of bills signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy on May 9.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about one-third of the food produced for human consumption—or 1.3 billion tons—is lost or wasted every year. It is also estimated that one-fourth of that food could be saved.
Of the food produced in the United States, 40% of it is uneaten and thrown away. A large portion of wasted food ends up in garbage dumps where it is left to rot and release methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, experts say.
The United Sates Environmental Protection Agency administrator and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture set a nationwide goal to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030, which prompted New Jersey state lawmakers to set the same goal for the state.
Over 900,000 New Jersey residents, 270,000 of which are children, face food insecurity daily. In Bergen County, 7.5% of the population or 70,200 residents live in households suffering from food insecurity, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
“In the richest nation in the world, it is a moral failure that so many of our fellow New Jerseyans don’t have enough food to eat,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “This comprehensive approach will allow us to leverage New Jersey’s strengths to better provide for our residents, so families can provide for themselves and their children.”
New laws address the issue
The following bills were signed into law on May 9:
• A4704—directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a food desert produce pilot program.
• A4705—establishes a New Jersey Food Waste Task Force to make recommendations concerning food waste in New Jersey.
• AJR174—urges large food retailers in state to reduce food waste.
• AJR172—designates Thursday of the third week of September each year as “Food Waste Prevention Day” in New Jersey.
• A4707—directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a public awareness campaign for food waste.
• A4703—requires the state’s Chief Technology Office to establish an “Anti-Hunger Link” for all state websites, providing information on emergency food services.
• A4702—the “Hunger-Free Campus Act” requires the Secretary of Higher Education to establish a grant program to address food insecurity among students enrolled in public institutions of public education. $1 million has also been appropriated for this grant.
• AJR175—urges the state’s Chief Innovation Officer to prioritize enhancement of NJOneApp to include all state anti-hunger programs.
• AJR60—designates November of each year as “Food Pantry Donation Month” in New Jersey.
• A4708—establishes Farm Liaison in Department of Agriculture.
Local support
All of these laws were cosponsored by state Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle from Englewood. Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, who is also from Englewood, was a sponsor for the creation of New Jersey’s “Food Waste Prevention Day.”
“By creating Food Waste Prevention Day, we can expand awareness of laws and programs that help get food in the hands and stomachs of those who need it most,” said Johnson. “Our goal is to reduce our food waste by 50 percent by 2030, and this resolution will assist us in achieving this goal.”
In the hopes that more businesses will donate food, an enhanced tax deduction is offered for donations made to public charities and other nonprofit organizations.
Large food retailers are being pushed to modify their practices by lowering unreasonably high cosmetic standards and making connections with charities. Manufacturers are being urged to change “best by” labels that are often confused with an expiration date, with “best if used by” labels.
State task force formed
The New Jersey Food Waste Task Force created in this anti-hunger legislative package will be responsible for examining the factors that lead to food waste and identifying strategies, policies, and legislative and executive action that could be used to reduce food waste and increase donations.
The task force will consist of 14 members, including: the commissioner of Human Services; the secretary of agriculture; the commissioner of the department of environmental protection; four members representing each major food retailer; three members appointed upon the recommendation of the president of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey; the director of Hunger Free New Jersey; and the president of the New Jersey Food Council. The last four members will be comprised of private citizens with relevant expertise in food waste issues or food management practices.
A two year program will also be established to address food deserts in New Jersey. Food deserts are areas where residents have limited access to nutritious foods. For this program, the Department of Agriculture will partner with providers to have weekly markets in three food desert communities, one of which will be in a rural area.
Local nonprofits respond
North Jersey nonprofits focused on battling hunger and food waste are glad to hear that the state is getting involved.
“Shockingly, considering the fact that we live in one of the wealthiest areas of the state and in on of the wealthiest states in the country, there are people who are hungry in our own backyard… Truly it’s a problem,” said Ilene Isaacs, the executive director of Table to Table, a community food rescue program that serves the hungry in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Passaic counties.
Table to Table rescues food that otherwise would have ended up in dumpsters or landfills and donates it to organizations such as social agencies, homeless centers, daycares, pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, programs for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, senior centers, substance abuse rehabilitation centers, and programs assisting the working poor.
“Every year we set a higher goal for ourselves for how much food we are going to rescue and how many people we are going to feed. We are constantly sourcing new places,” said Isaacs, adding that the number of partners they have continues to rise every year.
When speaking about the recent legislative action, Kelly Sirimoglu, the director of communications at the Englewood-based Center for Food Action, put it simply stating that, “We are delighted that this is going on.”
The Center for Food Action is a system of food pantries in Bergen and Passaic County that offer emergency food packages and have advocates available to assist those in need. They also have relationships with about 15 grocery stores in the area that supply them with food for pennies on the dollar to minimize waste, says Sirimoglu.
Each emergency food package includes enough food for the week which is typically between six and seven bags of groceries. According to Sirimoglu, the Center for Food Action supplies about 4,500 residents a month with emergency food packages.
“These bills are a really good first step,” said Adele LaTourette, the director of Hunger Free New Jersey. “We are beyond thrilled to have the assembly speaker focus on hunger.”
What Hunger Free New Jersey focuses on and finds most useful, according to LaTourette, is expanding access to federal feeding programs such as SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“We do convene a group of emergency food providers to see what they see on the front lines,” said LaTourette. “That really influences our legislative and policy work.”
While these nonprofits welcome action from the state, they agree that they have yet to see much impact because the laws are so new.
The root of the problem
Food waste starts on the farm and continues in supermarkets and beyond, yet there are steps that can be taken to minimize food waste in homes.
EPA guidelines for consumers suggest planning meals and shopping based on what you have at home, how many meals will likely be eaten, and the ingredients that will be used.
They suggest not buying produce in bulk because it will perish faster than other foods; however, freezing or preserving surplus fruits and vegetables can be a great alternative. Berries should also not be washed until they are going to be eaten to prevent mold.
The EPA recommends freezing foods—such as bread, sliced fruit, and meat—that will not be eaten before they go bad.
Nutritious, safe, and untouched food can also be donated to local food banks to help those who are food insecure.
Composting food scraps rather than throwing them away is also a way of diverting waste from rotting away in landfills.