Tell Congress: There’s No Time For Food Waste

Take two minutes to tell your representatives to support two common-sense bills in Congress. Your voice matters — and on an issue this clear-cut — Congress needs to hear that Americans are ready for action.

Dear [Senator/Representative],

Food loss and waste is costing our households, our economy, and our planet deeply. 

Over 30% of food in the US ends up in the trash instead of feeding people. The estimated 133 billion pounds of wasted food is valued at $161 billion annually, depleting key water, soil, and wildlife habitat. The average American household loses about $3,000 each year to wasted food. All while 47 million Americans don’t have enough to eat.

The good news is that food waste is often preventable with the right policies in place. I urge you to support two bipartisan, pragmatic bills that can help stop food loss and waste today.

Food Date Labeling Act (H.R. 4987 / S. 2541): Confusing expiration date labels drive up food waste and grocery bills for American families. With around 50 different manufacturer quality terms in use, it’s no wonder people end up tossing perfectly good food. This bill, sponsored by Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), along with Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), would cut through that confusion by giving manufacturers the option to select between two standardized labels if they opt to include a date label on their product: “best if used by” or “use by” – saving consumers money and keeping more food out of landfills.

NO TIME TO Waste Act (H.R. 2883 / S. 1395): This bill, sponsored by Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), along with Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), would strengthen federal research by prioritizing interagency collaboration to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030 and establishing an Office of Food Loss and Waste at the Department of Agriculture. It would also launch a national effort to educate Americans about ways they can reduce food waste at home and identify whether food is still good to eat.

These bipartisan bills would go a long way to help reduce food loss and waste. Thank you for considering this request to protect our planet, lower costs for Americans, and ensure food ends up on people’s plates instead of in the trash.