When I was growing up in New York, my older brother worked for a small ski resort. Every week, he would bring home bags of bagels and pastries that he rescued from being thrown out at the resort’s restaurant, and it was always such a treat. I remember vividly the large clear trash bags and the excitement of not knowing what each week would bring. Little did I know that at the very same time my first “food rescue” experience was happening, a grassroots movement was emerging in Cambridge, Massachusetts that would lead to the creation of one of the nation’s first food rescue organizations, Food For Free. And that almost 39 years later, I would become the CEO of this organization that now rescues 1.3 million pounds of food every year.
I recently posted a WBUR article on my LinkedIn page by Barbara Moran discussing how MA is leading the nation on keeping food waste out of landfills. As it turns out, food rescue is not only a way to solve hunger for communities, it is also a solution to a cleaner environment. Despite these efforts, about 35% of food goes uneaten each year in the United States.
Food rescue involves collecting surplus food from restaurants, grocery stores, farms, and other sources that would otherwise be discarded. Instead of ending up in landfills, this food is redirected to food banks, shelters, and community organizations. Through this reintegration of food into the community food system, food rescue not only combats hunger but also addresses the environmental repercussions of food waste. Food For Free is a food rescue innovator, using rescued prepared food from corporate, hospital and university dining halls to create balanced healthy individual meals through our Heat-n-Eats program.
Beyond feeding people, food waste has some real implications for the environment. From a 2024 report published by the United Nations Environment Programme, we learn how large the problem of food waste has become, and the very real and achievable opportunities to fix it. Every food item that is rescued means that water, land and energy used in production are not wasted, and that translates to conservation of critical natural resources. These practices also help us to build more sustainable practices in our food consumption, something that I have adopted in my household with weekly grocery shopping and menu planning. Food rescue contributes to sustainable food systems, as it distributes food to those who need it and builds up local economies. One of the major successes Food For Free has realized through our food rescue efforts is the impact we are making in educating and raising awareness for the correlation between minimizing food waste and positive social and environmental outcomes with the donor partners we work with.
Food waste has significant and harmful impacts on the environment. If you are learning about this issue for the first time, you may not realize that when food is thrown away it ends up in landfills, and when it decomposes it releases methane. This sequence contributes to greenhouse gas emissions that are more toxic than carbon dioxide. Perpetual food waste also contributes significantly to soil degradation and deforestation. In order to produce food, land will often be converted from natural ecosystems into farm lands, which can lead to loss of biodiversity. Essentially, we are farming more land than is needed to produce the quantity of food that we can actually consume.
Hunger is a very solvable problem, and food rescue is one major solution we have that can address it while reaping the benefits of a healthier environment at the same time. When we minimize food waste, we conserve resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and this ultimately leads to a healthier planet for all of us.
One powerful example of how a community is addressing hunger through food rescue is the Harvard Square Meals Program. Every Thursday, they receive rescued food from Food For Free, which they use to prepare a healthy, three-course dinner for community members. Guests gather at communal tables to share the meal, and food that was not used for the preparing the meal is distributed to attendees. This program not only fights hunger and reduces food waste but also fosters human connection, contributing to the overall health and well-being of the community.
Tackling systemic issues like food waste can feel overwhelming, but I suggest that the solution starts with each of us. Whether it’s being more mindful in your own personal acquisition of food or joining a movement like ours to support food rescue, you address food insecurity. When we rescue food, we’re creating a more sustainable future for us all, one meal at a time.