
Food News
U.S. States To End Food Waste
US States are coming up with legislation or policies to end food waste and donate unused food to food banks to serve the needy people.

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Sean Rafferty, who has worked in food stores for 40 years, is now participating in a program in New York State that mandates larger businesses to donate unsold food and encourages reusing small, leftover food items. Instead of discarding unused food, he prepares boxes of bread, vegetables, and milk products for pickup by a food bank at his store near New York City.
New York is among the states trying to limit food waste. The states are worried because the waste food is taking up space in landfills and adding to global warming. Meat and vegetables that are wasted release methane gas after being put in a landfill.
Saving unwanted food can help the states to feed hungry families. The statistics reveal that about a third of food is wasted worldwide. Nearly $218 Billion is spent by the U.S. every year to grow and produce food that is being wasted. Out of 57 Million tons of food getting wasted, around 47.5 Million end up in landfills.
The Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency announced a goal of 50% food waste reduction by 2030 in 2015. Consequently, around 10 states have passed legislation and created policies to reduce food waste.
California and Vermont have come up with programs to turn people’s food waste into energy. Connecticut state requires businesses, sellers, and supermarkets to reuse food waste.
Likewise, many states have joined New York in creating systems for food donation. Rhode Island asks food sellers to donate unused food to food banks. Massachusetts has also limited the amount of food that businesses can send to landfills.
New York has sent around 4 Million meals to food banks via its Feeding New York State Program. The program at present supports 10 food banks and is planning to double this number next year.
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VOA News. “US States Push to End Food Waste”. VOA News, December 4, 2023,
Last Updated: September 20, 2021