Sodexo Stop Hunger's Annual Initiative to Reduce Waste: WasteLESS Week

Sodexo, food services, and facilities management company, was one of the first funders of Food Recovery Network. As a company, it valued our mission to fight waste and feed people and has continued to support FRN in a multitude of ways for the past six years. Sodexo’s support is crucial and fitting, since it is a major dining provider to colleges and universities throughout the United States, and fighting food waste aligns with its goals.

Every October, Sodexo organizes a WasteLESS Week. This annual campaign “empowers consumers, clients and Sodexo employees to reduce waste by celebrating the benefits of wasting less food, water, energy, paper and raw materials,” according to its website.

As a part of this year’s WasteLESS Week and in recognition of Sodexo’s commitment to Stop Hunger, Sodexo collaborated with FRN to promote the Food Recovery Verified program. Together, we ran a campaign to verify as many Sodexo locations as possible by offering a discounted verification rate. During a single week, we were able to verify 12 new Sodexo locations in 10 states.

WasteLESS Week is a  celebration of environmentally responsible behavior. Throughout the week, Sodexo thanks its consumers, clients, and employees for all of the efforts they take on a daily basis to reduce waste. FRV is a third-party verification program that recognizes food businesses for preventing unnecessary food waste by redirecting leftovers from landfills to nonprofits. The type of recognition that FRV provides goes hand-in-hand with the goals of WasteLESS Week.

During FRN's March Madness Sale (March 19-30), all Sodexo locations qualify for an additional 10% discount on Food Recovery Verification.

Email foodrecoveryverified@foodrecoverynetwork.org for more details. 

FRN is happy to welcome the following accounts to our network! 

Thank you for all that you do to recover and donate your surplus edible food. By becoming Food Recovery Verified, your business is reducing food waste and feeding your community.  

#FRNSpeaks: Arynne Wegryn-Jones, University of Michigan

Exploring Farm to Institution Dining at the University of Michigan

Arynne Wegryn-Jones is a member of Food Recovery Network at the University of Michigan, where more than 23,000 pounds of food have been recovered since 2012. Are you interested in telling your unique #FRNSpeaks story? Want to get in touch with Arynne and the University of Michigan chapter? Reach out to programs@foodrecoverynetwork.org and we'd be happy to connect you. 

If you’ve ever been to a farmers market, the first thing you might notice is a sense of connection between the products and the people there. You might see how eager each farmer is to talk to you about what they’re selling, because most of the time they grew it or made it themselves. If you’ve ever eaten a vegetable that was harvested that day, or bitten into an apple that came from the orchard down the street, you might notice how much better it tastes. This taste is not just physical. An entirely new eating experience comes from knowing the food is not only good for you, but good for the person you bought it from and good for the environment in which it grew. This is something I came to understand over the course of my first semester as a student at the University of Michigan and a member of the Food Recovery Network (FRN).

I joined FRN early in the fall of my first year at the U of M. I was inspired by its mission to fight an issue I had never thought much about myself: the outrageous and unnecessary level of food waste in this country and the amount of people who are still going hungry despite it. The knowledge I have gained from FRN regarding this absurd gap, and the experience I have gained in fighting it by volunteering, has inspired me to take on a greater role in the food system we have on campus.

This past fall I had the honor of being enrolled in a course called “The Future of Food at the University of Michigan,” taught by Professor Lisa Young. The course looked at the past, present, and future of the food system here at the University of Michigan and what it is doing to become more sustainable. Students in the course examined various aspects of the U of M food system in order to collaboratively imagine and discuss ways to address the challenges associated with a sustainable food system.

As an honors student (and a newly-inspired food system fanatic), I chose to complete an additional research project that delved deeper into what we were learning in class. I decided to examine the food system at an institution known for being one of the leaders in the nation for sustainable food sourcing, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and compare their model to that of MDining at U of M. With the help of Professor Young, I arranged an interview with the recently retired Chef de Cuisine of MDining, Nelson “Buzz” Cummings, to talk about the history of the locally-sourced food system at U of M.

Through my research, I learned that “sustainable” and “local”, though intimately related, are two different ways to think about food. Chef Buzz told a story about taking students on a trip to Lesser Farms in Dexter, MI to pick apples and make the connection to where the food in the dining halls was grown. He described how he valued fresh, local produce and the relationships they build with the farmers in sourcing it, compared to conventionally grown and mass-distributed products. I learned about the challenges U of M has faced with switching to doing business with small-scale local producers and how they have had to make compromises to meet both the needs of the farmers and the needs of U of M. By controlling portion sizes, implementing trayless dining, composting whatever they can’t recover, U of M has made strides to reduce their level of food waste as an institution.

Although MDining is unique in the way it sources local food, it is not alone in trying to make the institution more sustainable and less wasteful. UMass Amherst has adopted a goal of sourcing 50% local food by the year 2060, which is comparable to U of M’s more modest goal of 20% sustainably sourced food by 2025. UMass has made enormous progress toward its goal and described the plan in its publication Making Local, Healthy, Sustainable Delicious; The How-To Guide for Foodservice Operators. Schools across the nation are recognizing the health and educational benefits of local food sourcing.

It all comes back to what local sourcing means for our food system. When you go to the farmers market and buy a bushel of greens or a carton of eggs, you’re supporting your health by eating fresh organic products. You’re also supporting the health of your local economy by keeping funds in the community and creating jobs. Most importantly, you’re supporting the health of the environment by discouraging large-scale production that increases carbon emissions. Large-scale institutions like the Universities of Massachusetts and Michigan are uniquely able to lead the transformation to a sustainable and less wasteful food system through opportunities to educate students. Through this course and my involvement with FRN, I learned that waste is a problem not just for food, but for resources of every kind. I am optimistic, however, that the future of food is a good one if we at FRN continue to work together to reduce, and educate on food waste, and if our community continues to demand local, healthy, sustainable foods. My advice for you is this: give often, waste little, eat local, and GO BLUE!

Five Films on Food Waste and Hunger That You Should Be Watching

Searching for good documentaries can be overwhelming. The abundance of options can lead to you perusing Netflix for hours, fruitlessly debating which film to actually watch. Luckily, we’ve combed the internet for you and created a list of five food-related documentaries we think are worth your time, based on online reviews. Whether you’re a foodie looking to learn more about food production, a student seeking to reduce food waste on campus, or a Food Recovery Network supporter, these films — which discuss food waste, food insecurity, and food production — are bound to contribute to your knowledge base. So grab some (sustainably-produced) popcorn and start watching!

1. “Wasted!”  

Directed by Anna Chai and Nari Kye and released in October 2018, “Wasted!” seeks to "change the way people buy cook, recycle, and eat food,” according to the film’s website.

The film shows how chefs repurpose food that would otherwise be thrown out to create delicious dishes. Once you learn how our current practices surrounding food production and food waste contribute to climate change, you’re bound to be inspired to adopt more sustainable practices. “Wasted!” is “surprisingly appetizing and funny...for a movie that harangues us for throwing out edible food,” according to a Rotten Tomatoes review. It is available for rent on Amazon.

2. “A Place at the Table” 

This documentary, directed by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush, focuses on the plights of three food-insecure Americans. It walks you through their days and emphasizes struggles they face during mealtimes. According to the film, one out of every two American kids will be on food assistance at some point, and about 50 million Americans rely on charitable food programs. “A Place at the Table” highlights that issues caused by hunger can be alleviated if Americans recognize that ending hunger should be a priority. The film, which is available for rent on Amazon, is “a shocking indictment of how people are starving in the land of plenty,” according to a Rotten Tomatoes review.

3. “How to Feed the World” 

Looking for a short film that sums up many of the problems relating to food access and food insecurity that we are currently facing? “How to Feed the World,” directed by Denis van Waerebeke, should be on your list. The 10-minute film, which was originally created for viewers between ages nine and 14 and can be viewed for free on Vimeo, uses colorful graphics to explain how globalization and trade influence which foods are available in different regions of the globe. Though distributing food to malnourished people in poorer countries may help temporarily, this act can actually cause more harm to local economies,  perpetuating further problems, the film argues. “How to Feed the World” urges members of Earth to work together to eat more sustainably to create a lasting solution. It recommends for individuals to make a difference by eating more plant-based products.

4. “Taste the Waste”  

Are you having a hard time picturing how much food goes to waste? “Taste the Waste,” directed by Valentin Thurn, will provide you with a more complete understanding of the quantity of food being thrown away, much of which is still edible. 90 million tons of food are thrown away in the European Union per year, including 3 million tons of bread, according to the film. The camera pans over dumpsters filled with “old” bakery items and trucks bursting with “insufficient” vegetables. It describes how technology is used to discard tomatoes solely based on their colors, and explains how “the food thrown away in Europe and North America would be enough to feed all hungry people in the world three times over.” “Taste the Waste,” which you can watch on YouTube, is a testament to how much good food is actually being wasted, and perhaps inspiration to be more mindful before discarding “bad” food.

5. “Just Eat It” 

What do you get when two filmmakers, Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin, realize the consequences of food waste? A documentary that details our “systematic obsession with expiry dates, perfect produce, and portion sizes,” according to the film’s website. “Just Eat It” tracks Rustemeyer and Baldwin’s lives as they survive off foods that were designated for the trash. This film, which is funny and entertaining in addition to being an “eye-opener,” according to reviews, will likely make you reconsider how you examine produce in the grocery store. “Just Eat It” is available for rent on Amazon and YouTube. Additionally, Rustemeyer was the keynote speaker at FRN’s National Food Recovery Dialogue – another reason to watch this incredible film!

Please help us continue the conversation by sharing this article with your family and friends!

Food Recovery Verified: 4 Days, 2 conferences, 1 food recovery

Six Goucher College students gathered in mid-November to recover four days’ worth of food from two concurrent events at the Baltimore Hilton. Every year, NARUC, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and NASUCA, the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, host an annual conference at the same location at the same time. They started doing this to allow members from each organization to attend panels hosted by the other organization. All in all, both organizations draw participation from nearly 1,600 people over the course of their four-day conferences.

This year, organizers Michelle Malloy (of NARUC) and Nicole Haslup (of NASUCA) wanted to change one thing about their annual conference: food waste. Michelle required RSVPs for each meal in an attempt to have a more accurate food count prior to the event. Despite her best efforts, there was still surplus from the various meals. Knowing that would be the case, Malloy and Haslup worked with Food Recovery Network (FRN) to get their conferences Food Recovery Verified. This means that they agreed to set aside any edible untouched food from the meals throughout the four days of their conferences. Because the event was hosted at the same location and the food was coming from the same kitchen, it made recovering food that much easier.

Goucher College is home to a very active and vibrant FRN chapter. Allie Sklarew, the chapter's president, jumped at the opportunity to help recover from these events and recruited five other volunteers to transport the food.  “I think our chapter [has] the potential to do large-scale recoveries after this,” Sklarew said after successfully organizing this recovery. Goucher College FRN’s willingness to execute recoveries outside of their campus demonstrates their dedication and commitment to the movement of fighting food waste and feeding people.

On November 14, 2017, 29 pans totaling 136 pounds of surplus food from both NARUC and NASUCA events were donated to Project PLASE in downtown Baltimore.

You can recover the surplus food from your next event with the help of Food Recovery Network and by getting Food Recovery Verified! Find out more about Food Recovery Verified here. 

Alumni Spotlight: Carl Diethelm, Green Mountain College '17

Environmental Protection Agency's Food Recovery Hierarchy (https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food)

Carl Diethelm, a 2017 graduate of Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont, founded his school’s FRN chapter as a junior in the spring of 2016. As one of the most sustainable colleges in the United States, Green Mountain College was already composting much of the uneaten food at the dining hall when Carl first started the chapter. But composting only goes so far, and it took Carl’s enhanced knowledge of the issue to come up with an even better idea for dealing with the leftover food. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s food recovery

hierarchy, a chart of management strategies for what to do with wasted food, source reduction and feeding people are far more beneficial to both the environment and to society than composting or throwing food in a landfill. Through his work starting this FRN chapter, Carl realized that donating leftover prepared food could help Green Mountain dining become even more environmentally conscious and ethical by moving three steps higher on the food recovery hierarchy. He says, “I was known as ‘Compost Carl’, but because of my experience with FRN, I realized it is much more fulfilling to get food to people or animals, or prevent it from being over-produced in the first place.”

This experience of finding an even better solution to a problem that many thought was already solved encouraged Carl to pursue a career in organic waste diversion after graduation. Carl now works at the GMC dining hall as the food recovery specialist and server, working to help his school achieve zero-waste status, while continuing to support GMC’s FRN chapter. He also serves as Outreach Coordinator for the Rutland County Solid Waste Management Entity, a materials management planning and administration organization. He contacts businesses, schools, and other organizations directly to discuss proper disposal of their unused materials. For example, the state of Vermont recently passed a Universal Recycling Law that requires everyone to divert food scraps from the landfill by 2020, and the Solid Waste Districts are charged with making sure everyone knows this law exists and ensuring they are aware of different options available to comply with it. Days spent fighting waste and feeding people, Carl says, “is very rewarding to me, and I see myself continuing in these career areas for a long time,” he said.  

His favorite FRN memory is his chapter’s first community meal at the local Methodist Church, which had more than 70 attendees. “It was nerve-wracking to try serving all those people in two hours from a small kitchen, but the reward was a great feeling of accomplishment.” To current FRN students, Carl advises: “Take it slow. While it can be disheartening to see how much food is wasted every minute, rushing to start new programs or extend current food recovery projects can sometimes result in burn-out and maybe a loss of food safety. Start new relationships with small pilot programs, and use the network to reach out to others if you have any questions.”

Carl also encourages students to keep an open mind. “Some people might not be excited about certain foods they receive, but listen to them with an open heart and just do your best to use the feedback in positive ways,” he says. “While one of the main goals of food recovery is to help prevent food insecurity, it is not a solution to reducing poverty. Recognizing that others might be less privileged and have different foods they are raised eating will allow you to step back and remember that we are all human with our own unique life experience.”

The FRN Alumni Network is powerful because passionate alumni like Carl are out in the workforce and in communities all across the country. Finding real solutions to real problems, even when it’s difficult, is what FRN leaders do best. Carl, thanks for all you do and keep up the great work!

Interested in being part of our alumni network? Fill out our survey to stay connected here, and email alumni@foodrecoverynetwork.org or Sarah Diamond, our Alumni Programs VISTA, at sarah.diamond@foodrecoverynetwork.org with any inquiries you have. We can’t wait to hear from you!