Food

Recovery Network Helps to Combat Hunger Among Food Insecure Popula=ons

Kayleigh Caito & Carly Lehmann
Introduc=on:

Experience and Research:

Food waste is a major problem around the globe. According to the

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United States (FAO), about
1/3 of all food that is produced globally is wasted annually (1). A study
conducted in one of Virginia Techs dining facilitys showed that there
was 4,103 pounds of edible food wasted. About 15% of waste in US
landfills is made up of food (2). The food that sits in these landfills
contributes to global warming due to the production of methane gas
(1). A study done through the University of Northern British Columbia
discovered that over 70% of food waste could have been avoided
through waste reduction, recycling, and composting (3).
Leftover, usable food can be donated using food recovery and waste
prevention programs, which would correlate with a decrease in food
insecure households (2). Food recovery involves taking unused foods
so they are not wasted and donating it to food banks to help feed
people in need. Food insecurity is defined as the inability to access
fresh, nutritious foods (4).

Summary:

Food Recovery Network, founded in 2011, is a campus program that

aims to prevent food waste and feed the hungry. It is the largest
student based initiative that recovers unused food from dining halls
and donates it to those in need.

Food Recovery Network is a small organization that is working to

make a big impact. This program can potentially help reduce hunger
and food insecurity among those in the United States.

Steps Involved in a Recovery:

Recoveries take place every Thursday at 8am at The Oaks
Temperatures of the foods are taken to ensure safety and quality
Recovered food is taken to a church, usually Cherry St. Mission in
Toledo
The extra food is then served as a hot meal for people in need

Volunteers are important to make this organization successful

FRN has made a big impact, even with small donations of food
More awareness of the program is needed to get more people
involved
Goal is to reach all 50 states and potentially even go global

Research Findings:
One way to begin reducing food waste is by utilizing the Hierarchy of
Solutions to Food Waste (5).
The Hierarchy of Solutions to Food Waste (5):

Prac=cal Applica=ons:
Prevention
Reducing at the
source
Produce to meet
demands
Portion control

Recovery
Collecting extra
food
Donating leftovers

Recycling
Animal Feed
Industrial energy
production
Composting

How FRN is Helping

However, there is a need for more awareness and education of the
problem. There is no evidence of current public policies regarding food
waste programs or implementing organizations that recover food.
Research studies have shown that creating public policies that educate
people about a problem are easier to implement than public policies
that create programs (6). There are many nutrition policies that are
created locally for schools and other organizations (7). However, there
are not as many school nutrition policies at the national level (7), and
none of the policies enforce food recovery.

How FRN can be

Improved

Recovered 1.4 million pounds

of food since 2011

Need for advertising and

expansion

Food donated to non-profit

organizations

Limited geographical reach

Donated food is given to

those in need

More volunteers and

community involvement

Food Recovery Network is important for helping people who are in

need of food. There are ways in which people can help recover food in
order to reduce hunger around the world. Here are some ways to help
reduce food waste:
It is important to get involved and volunteer
Donating food to local pantries, even if it is not a lot
Do not throw leftover food away when eating out
Educating students about portion control will help reduce food waste
in college dining facilities
Education on portion control will cause students to take less food
at mealtimes
Reducing the amount of food that students are taking in dining
facilities allows for more leftover food
This leftover food can be recycled and donated to those in need
More food to be donated can help those that are food insecure to
eat more nutritious meals