Welcome to Maine Wasted Food Prevention Week!

 

 

Every year, Maine throws away over 361,000 tons of food – the majority of which is good and edible food. It is a massive loss for our economy, and our neighbors, and our environment…we are throwing away the hard work of our Maine farmers, tossing out our family grocery dollars, and trashing good and edible food while so many Mainers go hungry.

 

With the Center for Sustainability Solutions Food Rescue MAINE initiative, we are working with the state to solve this problem because Maine Food Is Too Good To Waste.

Our Food Rescue MAINE student/faculty team is working hard to develop and share more solutions to prevent wasted food.  

·      For schools, our Maine School Cafeteria Toolkit helps elementary school students become 'Food Rescue Heroes' and cut wasted food by up to 25%.

·       For communities, our recent municipal study shows that community composting programs are officially working—reducing waste disposal costs for taxpayers.

·       For foodservice, our wasted food tracking and measuring program has shown how overproduction is a leading cause of wasted food and millions of dollars  

·       And for households, our Food Rescue MAINE website provides educational tips— like “shop your fridge and pantry first,” “make the freezer your friend,” and “use a shopping list” — to make a BIG difference.

Preventing wasted food isn't just an activity for this week; it's our Maine way of taking care of our food — and each other!

 

Thank you to our partners celebrating Maine Wasted Food Prevention Week and to the many schools, businesses, communities, and households across the state who are also doing their part.

 

Let’s all join them this week – and every week – to prevent wasted food in Maine!

 

The Food Rescue MAINE team