NO TIME TO Waste Act
Key claim: The NO TIME TO Waste Act would direct the USDA to establish an Office of Food Loss and Waste and administer grants supporting food recovery infrastructure, model policies, and public-private partnerships.
Abstract
(HR5657 · 118th Congress) New Opportunities for Technological Innovation, Mitigation, and Education To Overcome Waste Act or the NO TIME TO Waste Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take several actions to reduce U.S. food loss and waste (FLW). Under the bill, food loss means the food that does not reach a consumer as a result of an issue in the production, storage, processing, or distribution phase. Food waste means that food intended for human consumption is unconsumed for any reason at the retail or consumption phase. The bill requires USDA to collaborate with the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out a December, 17, 2020, agreement to coordinate federal efforts to cut FLW. Further, USDA must establish an Office of Food Loss and Waste to support the existing role of the Food Loss and Waste Liaison. The office must also, among other things, establish a grant program to support collecting data on existing state and local FLW policies (and the office must use the data to establish model policies for state and local governments); a block grant program for states and Indian tribes to develop and support food recovery infrastructure and innovative food distribution models; and a grant program to incentivize state, municipal, local, and tribal governments to establish public-private partnerships that commit to reducing FLW by 50% by 2030. The Office of Food Loss and Waste must also initiate a national FLW education and public awareness campaign. Latest action (2024-01-11): Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture.
Why this matters
The proposal would create a USDA coordination office and grant mechanism for food recovery, potentially helping farmers and food-system partners reduce losses and improving the availability of recovered food for consumers. It remains introduced legislation, and effects on farmer returns, consumer access, and food prices have not been established.