Food waste has been a worldwide topic of conversation for the past few years and rightfully so – nearly 40 percent of the food raised and grown in the U.S. is thrown in the garbage and ends up in a landfill. Although beef is seen as a precious food source and is among one of the least-wasted commodities, beef waste is a significant issue. In fact, according to research conducted by the Beef Checkoff as part of the sustainability lifecycle assessment, if beef waste was cut in half, full supply chain sustainability would increase by 10 percent. Addressing the issue has to start at home, with consumers, by taking small steps to mitigate food waste.
Background
Over the past few years, various states have instituted new procedures and policies to help mitigate food waste. For example, California buys more than 100 million pounds of farmers’ extra crops to give to food banks and the state offers tax incentives to farmers who donate produce and the haulers who transport it to nonprofits1. In Vermont, the state legislature passed its universal recycling law, which includes a ban on organic waste in landfills2. Even Wal-Mart has taken big steps to reduce food waste by selling “ugly” fruits and vegetables at a discounted price – weather-damaged apples and potatoes are being sold in Texas and Florida stores. These actions and more are helping all consumers, nationwide, realize the severe impact that food waste has on our food supply, environment and food chain sustainability.
Discussion
Recognizing that food waste is a huge challenge for consumers, as well as influencers and beef producers who work hard to raise beef, several checkoff-funded teams, including Beef Advocacy Training and Engagement, Consumer Engagement, Consumer Influencer and Retail and Foodservice, rallied together to develop a campaign that could reach a number of different audiences, with one unified message – fight against food waste. The 30-Day Food Waste Challenge, which is modeled after the highly successful Protein Challenge, is a drip-style campaign that was designed to challenge consumers to raise awareness and introduce simple changes to fight food waste.
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