Across the globe, nations, organizations, and individuals observed the second International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. Last year, the UN created this day to acknowledge the problem and opportunity food loss and waste presents, and to spur action. The disposal of food waste in landfills leads to greenhouse gas emissions and wasted resources all along the food supply chain. However, reducing food waste can be a solution to address climate change that also ensures good food makes it to people’s plates.
In the United States, homes are the largest source of food waste. That is why consumer education through methods like awareness campaigns are critical. Each of us must change our consumption habits to eliminate food waste and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This past year, U.S. cities participating in NRDC’s Food Matters Regional Initiative have been leading the way on raising awareness about the issues of food waste and inspiring people to take action. Here are just a few examples of the great campaigns from the Regional Initiative:
- Save More Than Food (Franklin County, Ohio): The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) has developed a campaign called Save More Than Food. It is an awareness campaign dedicated to sharing the impact that food waste has on the health of the community, economy, and environment. The campaign has a dedicated website to share tools and resources, including print, video, radio, and food service assets. Since its launch in 2020, the campaign has reached over 16,000 households.
- Plan. Use. Create. Scrap. (Madison, Wisconsin): The City of Madison launched an awareness campaign in July 2021 using the slogan, “Plan. Use. Create. Scrap. Together we can end food waste.” To develop the campaign design and messaging, they worked with a local art collective called UnderBelly Creative + Collective. The campaign message has been run on city buses and social media and the Streets and Recycling department also has posters and stickers to give out at local events. Engaging residents on food waste reduction is part of Madison’s comprehensive plan to reduce food waste throughout the city.
- Year of Rethinking Food Waste (Jersey City, New Jersey): The City of Jersey City rolled out a food waste reduction campaign for the “Year of Rethinking Food Waste.” The Office of Sustainability’s focus in 2021 is on rethinking how they approach food waste in their community and how they can reduce wasted food through prevention messaging, rescuing surplus food, and recycling food scraps by composting. As part of their food waste prevention messaging efforts, they have run social media features and print media public service announcements (PSA), earning over 280,000 impressions since the start of this year. The social media feature is called “Food for Thought Fridays” where they share helpful tips.