At a time when 47.9 million people in the United States live in food-insecure households, preventing food waste should be taken very seriously by churches and community groups. As Christians, we are called to be good stewards of the resources we are given, and what better way to do so than by keeping good food out of landfills and in people’s homes?
We don’t often think about what happens to the groceries that get put back, where the salad bar items from restaurants come from, or how there always seems to be a table full of any given produce at the store. And yet, food loss through these avenues is a real problem.
The good thing is, there are sometimes ways that churches and community organizations can step in. In this guide, we will cover ways to help prevent waste of perishable foods in your own life, as well as some ways to get creative and help feed people in your community by rescuing food.
Preventing Food Waste by Targeting It Where It Starts
Food waste is simply safe, edible food that ends up in the trash before it reaches someone’s belly. It’s different than unavoidable food scraps that include things like banana peels, eggshells, or meat trimmings. While those things can be repurposed, that’s not what we’re talking about today.
Ways We Can All Help with Preventing Food Waste
While I want to drive home the impact that preventing food waste on a larger scale by redistributing it can have, it never hurts to touch on a few of the ways we can all pitch in. This helps make the best use of our time, money, energy, and the resources that go into food production.
- Pay attention to the expiration date when purchasing, make sure to rotate purchases in your pantry regularly, and use things before they go bad
- Don’t make bulk purchases unless it is something you’ll use and/or share with others. Bulk discounts sound great, but not if the food goes to waste.
- Prep food as soon as you get it home, so you’re more likely to use it on a busy evening
- Scale back your cooked portions to what you know you can eat before they go bad (especially if your family doesn’t eat leftovers!)
- Use leftovers, even if you need to get creative and turn them into something else
All of these things benefit us on a personal level, as well as on an environmental level.
Preventing food waste in the home helps us be better stewards of the land, water, fuel, and labor that go into bringing food to our tables. Not only that, but it frees up resources to help get more food to people who are nutritionally at-risk.
Preventing Food Waste with Partnerships and Food Rescue
Now, we’re going to dive into somewhat of a personal anecdote, but I promise, this will show you the positive effect that some creative thinking can have.
The planning process is similar to any event planning, and is something that can be designed to be repeated if you want to make this a regular part of bringing valuable resources to your community.
Developing Relationships with Stores and Distributors
My local Food Not Bombs chapter came upon an incredible opportunity. For background, twice per month, we go to grocery stores we already have partnerships with, retrieve produce that has been pulled from the shelves because it’s no longer “pretty” enough, and we sort and process it into vegan meals that we share with the community for free.
At a social event, one of our members met someone who works at a restaurant distributor. They were sharing about what and how we do things, and the person said they would love to work with us to help prevent food waste at the distributor level, and a partnership was born.
If this is something you’re interested in doing, choose a few stores, contact their produce department, and explain what you’re looking for. They’ll most often want to know:
- What group or organization you’re with
- Who does this ministry/program serve
- What, exactly, you’re looking for
- How frequently you want to pick items up
You may find that you have better luck with small or local stores, or ones that have a “green commitment” of some sort. You can explain the benefit and how you’re helping fight hunger right in the community.
Gleaning
Gleaning, in this context, is the act of acquiring (typically imperfect) produce near spoilage from a grocery store or other food distributor. For food safety reasons, we are only talking about produce at this time.
For our partnership with the distributor, we brought two small SUVs to their warehouse. They then proceeded to FILL both vehicles with two pallets worth of produce.
When we talked to the warehouse manager, he explained that when they send food to their customers, they want them to have several days’ worth of use out of the items.
Therefore, they pull things from circulation much earlier than a grocery store would. This proved to be an excellent benefit for us. We had so many fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and leafy greens, it was mind-blowing.
Note: If you’re gleaning from a distributor or bulk food store, make sure you have plenty of room in the vehicle to take the items set aside for you! We tend to fill at least one small SUV, and have, at times, had enough for two.
Processing Donations
Once you’ve collected the donations, you’ll need to unload them somewhere temperature-controlled. Then, they can be sorted and processed, if needed. In our case, we often receive bulk-sized packages of things like lettuce and pre-cut vegetables.
You’ll want to make sure to assess the quality of food. Even with a great partnership like a distributor, there may be some items that you don’t necessarily want to put out for a giveaway.
We have a team that breaks these packages down into smaller bags so we can share them with more families and give them portions that they’re most likely to use. Everything that can’t be kept at room temperature is then refrigerated, where needed. Then, it can be given to families at our meal share events.
What to do with unusable donations
Once donations are processed, you may end up with several pounds of food that is not of good enough quality for giving away. In this case, here are some options to keep even the ugliest of food out of a landfill:
- Kitchen-savvy volunteers can take food home and cook with it. Some may be comfortable trimming off bruised parts or parts otherwise not of great quality
- Create soup stock for a free meal
- Trim off the good parts and make stir fries
- Share these items with a local community garden to have for their compost bin
Again, if you’re making food for public consumption, make sure that those involved are up-to-date on proper food handling. Also, check for local guidelines around meal sharing.
Distributing Food Donations
Deciding how you’ll distribute is just as important as getting the partnership to have access to the food. In the case of Food Not Bombs, we already have meal share events in place.
We often take larger packages of lettuce that we may not be able to give away to the local bread line. Here are some ideas for sharing or distributing the food you collect:
- Hold a food giveaway (make sure to plan ahead for your event so you can advertise properly!)
- Fill local micropantries and Freedges
- Partner with a school to send bags of food home with students to have on the weekend
- Partner with a church that has a meal ministry, whether that’s sharing a free hot meal or giving away groceries
- Set up a table at a local vendor fair or other church/community event. Then, you can simply give away the produce. (Food Not Bombs did this at one of our No Kings rallies, and it was a BIG hit!)
- Connect with food banks, food pantries, or bread lines to see what they can use
It often surprises people to find organizations just “giving away” food without strings attached. Climate change and stress on the food system are signs that we need to work together. We have the option to bring some of that food supply to the average family who may be struggling financially.
Considerations When Preventing Food Waste
There are some things to keep in mind when you’re working on a mission such as this.
- It’s important to always have people with a food handler’s license involved. From refrigeration to proper handling of foods being broken down, you want the process to be safe.
- Make sure that the process of collecting, unloading, and breaking down can happen within food safety timelines. Unsafe food doesn’t help anyone.
- Ensure that you have plenty of refrigeration available for the items that need cold food storage.
- There may be ordinances from local governments that apply to your situation. Be sure to check ahead of time, or be willing to shoulder any risk you may be taking on.
- Decide in advance whether you’ll do this one time, on occasion, or on a regular schedule. Ensure that you have a volunteer team in place to handle any tasks, and communicate clearly with them.
Distributor partnerships can be amazing! However, it doesn’t help anyone if you’re taking food that can’t be used, stored, or distributed while it’s still good!
Why Churches and Community Leaders Should Care About Preventing Food Waste
The short version? Our call is to be good stewards. Creating food partnerships that save surplus food from landfills and give it to families struggling with the cost of food who will make it part of their meal plan, get the nutrition they need, and help give them better food security checks so many boxes.
Not only that, but the environmental impacts of the tonnes of food that go into landfills each year is staggering. As much as 1/4 of all fertilizer and land the size of China is wasted every single year. If we want to be good stewards, there are a variety of reasons to start by targeting food waste.
Preventing Food Waste from Your Plate to the Supply Chain
When people think of Christian living, they probably don’t often think about plate waste or the food industry. However, at a time when the average American struggles to make ends meet, this is a great way to have an impact. This type of ministry touches everyone from local farmers to struggling families in the community.
Whether you decide to try out a food rescue program or simply get in touch with one local store to turn parts of fruits and stale bread into a dessert for an upcoming meal, preventing food waste is an impactful way to be a great steward of resources and contribute to a waste reduction goal.
All of these steps can help create a better place for future generations to live, and that is ultimately our calling.