What is the Food Recovery Challenge?

In 2011, the U.S. EPA wanted to do more to help organizations and businesses reduce food waste. These efforts became the Food Recovery Challenge (FRC), in which organizations pledge to improve their sustainable food management practices and report their results.

The FRC, a voluntary program, improves communities by encouraging food donation for hungry people, reducing food waste, and composting food waste.

The total retail and consumer value of food loss in the United States was an estimated $161.6 billion in 2010, according to the USDA study, The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of Postharvest Food Losses at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States.

What is an FRC Endorser?

The EPA is recruiting FRC Endorsers, any organization that can provide resources to others to reduce their generation of wasted food. Endorsers promote the Food Recovery Challenge through outreach activities and connect organizations to local EPA FRC resources. If organizations produce food waste, and want to reduce their waste, they are perfect candidates to participate in the FRC!

Endorsers make three commitments:

1. Complete an Endorser Agreement.
2. Determine first year goals for outreach activities, which include: newsletters, presentations, meetings, social media, recruiting participants, etc.
3. Document and share your annual outreach activities by March 31 of each year!