No Time to Waste Act

In September 2023, Senator Coons (D-DE), Senator Moran (R-KS) Representative Pingree (D-ME-1), and Representative Lawler (R-NY-17) introduced companion bills, “No Time to Waste,” in the House (H.R.5657) and the Senate (S.2889). The bills aim to strengthen government coordination, support research and new technology, foster public-private partnerships, and start a public education campaign to reduce food loss and waste.

The bill would:

• Establish an Office of Food Loss and Waste at the USDA to research ways to decrease food waste and loss in the U.S., measure progress on meeting the U.S.’s goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030, and study the impact of current policies on greenhouse gas emissions.
• Increase support to public-private partnerships which aim to decrease food loss and food waste.
• Establish regional coordinators and appropriate funding to support food recovery efforts.
• Create pilot projects aimed at food loss and waste reduction.
• Create a public education initiative through the USDA focused on educating the public on how much food is wasted in the average home, ways to preserve food, and how to identify when food is still safe to eat