The Denver Department of Public Health & Environment has released of its Food Action Plan, created to fulfill the goals set forward in the Food Vision framework after 18 months of community engagement. The Food Action Plan is designed as a set of strategic projects to increase food equity in the city. The Food Vision framework aims to reduce the number of food insecure households by 55 percent and cut the volume of food waste in residential garbage collection by 57 percent citywide by 2030.
The Denver Food Action Plan kicks off a series of projects with various partners across the community and the nation. The first project of the Food Action Plan is a collaborative effort with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to reduce the amount of food being wasted in Denver homes and businesses. Together with NRDC, the City and County of Denver will integrate multiple strategies to prevent food from going to waste, rescue surplus food for those in need, and recycle food scraps. This includes:
- Participating in a public education campaign aimed at cutting food waste from its largest sources, especially consumers.
- Engaging businesses through challenges and city-level technical assistance by DDPHE’s Certifiably Green Denver Program, which works with local businesses to increase sustainable practices.
- Encouraging surplus food donation by local businesses, engaging public health inspectors, and various forms of stakeholder engagement to address the food rescue resources gap.
- Encouraging and incentivizing organics recycling and composting by residents
Read the full story at www.nrdc.org/media/2018/180628.