Fighting Food Waste

By Claudine Hutton

Every year, more than one-third of the food produced in the U.S. goes to waste. It’s an epic and relatively modern problem with serious environmental and humanitarian consequences, but the solutions can be as simple as an organized shopping list, said a panel of community leaders at the November 14 meeting of the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit.

“As individuals, we have massive agency to create some kind of change here,” said Adam Kaye, Co-Founder and Chief Culinary Officer of The Spare Food Co. “Those of us who are fortunate enough–and that is a big qualifier–to be able to make our food choices on a daily basis are empowered and have the ability to really move the needle on this issue.”

According to the EPA, uneaten food contains enough calories to feed the 17 million food insecure Americans multiple times over. And between its farming, production, shipping, storage and ultimate disposal, food waste produces as much greenhouse gas emissions as 100 coal-fired power plants.

During the hour-long discussion, “WASTE NOT: Smarter Ways to Consume, Conserve,

and Repurpose Our Food,” panelists outlined the steps their local organizations are taking to reduce food waste and offered common sense advice for making change at home.

Catherine Carney, Vice President of the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force, explained how her organization works with Feeding Westchester and local partners like Boleria Brazilian Bakery, Mercurio’s Pasta and Bagels by Sofia to recover excess produce, packaged food and day-old baked goods for weekly redistribution to about 500 families in the community. Additionally, the LMHTF created a returns table for clients to give back the items they don’t want or need.

“Invariably, another client will come behind them and pick [them] up,” said Carney. “It's a great way to have everybody keep the food that we're giving them and not throw anything away.”

While grocery store chains largely coordinate donations through the Feeding Westchester network, local restaurants and country clubs have received much less help with donating excess prepared foods. That may soon change, according to Lisa Chase, co-chair of Grassroots Grocery in Larchmont Mamaroneck, with the construction of Mamaroneck’s Community Fridge. Set to be located on public land in the Village of Mamaroneck next to the police station and St. Thomas church, the refrigerator/freezer will serve as a 24/7 informal distribution point for excess prepared food from local catering halls, restaurants, houses of worship, as well as local residents.

“It will [have] a community garden adjacent that will be planted with natives”, said Chase, who also founded and runs the local Victory Farms program. “And that will double as a way to show the connection between what we grow and what we waste.”

The fridge will be stocked and maintained by a committed group of volunteers, and will adhere to Westchester Department of Health standards.

While stopping food waste at its source or redirecting it to people in need is preferable, consumers can also help the environment and reduce methane gas emissions from landfills by composting. Students participating in Mamaroneck High School’s OCRA program have been working to develop a pilot commercial composting program for restaurants.

Many of the solutions to food waste lie in thinking outside the box. Kaye, who as chef and culinary director at Blue Hill at Stone Barns learned to incorporate castoffs such as beet pulp and cucumber butts into gourmet dishes–and now develops and sells food items made from overlooked ingredients–shared a few simple tips. He urged the audience to cook more and think creatively about items in their own refrigerators, suggesting frittatas and fried rice as two catch-all recipes. He challenged households to dedicate one meal a week to cleaning out the fridge, and to plan menus and shopping trips carefully.

Carney raised the confusion around food expiration dates that can have little relevance to actual freshness and safety. “The vast majority of foods can be consumed after the date shown on the labels as long as the food's handled properly,” she said. Chase, also a former restaurateur, pointed to the app Too Good to Go, where consumers can find and purchase restaurants’ unsold items at discounted prices.

Most importantly, the panelists encouraged audience members to volunteer or find other ways to get involved. “The more you insert yourself into this issue at its root, you raise this awareness and your proximity to it, the easier you will find ways to actually start to make change,” said Carney.

The Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit is an informal community council that seeks to make a better life for the community by keeping it informed of major issues of concern. The next meeting will be IN PERSON, on December 12, with Westchester County Executive George Latimer at the Westchester Jewish Center in Mamaroneck. Visit the Local Summit online: https://www.localsummitlm.org/ LMC Media: https://lmcmedia.org/.