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Waste not, want not

When vast food supplies fill landfills while populations go hungry, it’s time for innovative solutions that solve both the food waste and food injustice problems. The solutions blossoming from this problem are both numerous and varied. On the one hand, we’re tackling the food waste problem by identifying dead zones in the supply chain that prevent almost-expired-but-totally-fine-to-eat-food from getting to people who need it. Apps, such as 412 Food Rescue, work with teams of volunteers to redistribute food to community kitchens. Plus, we’re particularly excited about a new company called Apeel, which uses landfill-bound organic vegetable waste to create an edible film that coats fresh produce—and may be able to extend the life of food better than current methods such as waxes or ripening gases.

We're confident 2017 will see invigorated efforts to mitigate food waste—especially as climate change continues to threaten our crop yields. Perhaps EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said it best in 2015: "Let’s feed people, not landfills."

Examples:

• Apeel Sciences
• 412 Food Rescue
• Toast Pale Ale