House Agriculture Committee Begins Food Waste Review
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to understand the sources and impacts of food waste. Members heard from a variety of witnesses from industry, academia and the private sector who shared their efforts and initiatives in place to address the issue of food waste across the food chain.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX)
“An estimated forty percent of the food grown in this country is wasted, ending up in trash cans and landfills. Considering that millions of Americans struggle to put food on the table every day, tackling food waste is, and should be, a non-partisan issue that will be most successful by engaging everyone involved, from field to table. It will take the collaboration of all stakeholders to be successful. If advocates, Members, whoever it may be are close-minded and unopen to compromise, it all but ensures retention of the status quo regardless of the issue. Good public policy is not a zero sum game. I look forward to working with my colleagues, as well as stakeholders as we work toward the same goal of minimizing food waste,” said Chairman K. Michael Conaway.
Following the hearing, the House Agriculture Committee is hosting a Food Waste Fair featuring public and private sector organizations taking innovative approaches to recover food that would otherwise go to a landfill. The event is from 1:30 – 3:30p.m. in room 1300 Longworth House Office Building.
Written testimony provided by the witnesses from today’s hearing is linked below. Click here for more information, including Chairman Conaway’s opening statement and the archived webcast.
Witness List:
Panel I
The Honorable Chellie Pingree, Member of Congress from Maine
Panel II
Ms. Dana Gunders, Senior Scientist, Food & Agriculture Program, National Resources Defense Council, San Francisco, CA
Mr. Jesse Fink, Managing Director, Mission Point, Norwalk, CT
Mr. John Oxford, President and CEO, L&M Companies, Raleigh, NC
Ms. Meghan Stasz, Senior Director, Sustainability, Grocery Manufacturers Association, Washington, DC
Ms. Diana Aviv, CEO, Feeding America, Chicago, IL
Ms. Emily Broad Leib, Director, Food Law and Policy Clinic, Harvard Law School, Jamaica Plain, MA