FMI
Arlington, Va. — FMI, a food industry association that works to advance a safer, healthier, more efficient consumer food supply chain, is the first trade association to join the U.S. Food Waste Pact, a national voluntary agreement focused on reducing food waste in the United States, co-led by nonprofits ReFED and World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
FMI joins 20 other companies and organizations who have signed onto the pact, which utilizes “Target, Measure, Act” framework to promote collaboration and reduce food waste across the food system.
According to ReFED, 31% of food produced in the U.S. goes uneaten or unsold, with the vast majority becoming waste that gets sent to destinations like landfills, incinerators and sewer systems. This surplus food — 73.9 million tons each year — is equivalent to 120 billion meals, and it is valued at $382 billion.
“FMI has a long history of working to address food waste,” said Andy Harig, vice president of tax, trade, sustainability and policy development at FMI. “Highlighting the importance of food waste reduction has been a priority for us for over a decade, and we’re pleased to continue that journey by joining the U.S. Food Waste Pact. This will give us an opportunity to collaborate directly with food businesses across the industry and share best practices from our wider lens as an industry association.”
Since 2011, FMI has been part of the Food Waste Reduction Alliance — a partnership also including the Consumer Brands Association and the National Restaurant Association — which works to address the root causes of food waste within food business operations and secure pathways to donate or recycle unavoidable food waste. FMI’s work has included educating consumers about date labels and developing The FoodKeeper, a mobile app and online database containing information about storage and food safety.
“As an industry association with a large and diverse membership base, FMI brings a vital and unique perspective to food waste prevention and reduction,” said Jackie Suggitt, vice president of business initiatives and community engagement at ReFED. “FMI has been such an important leader on a number of key issues, and we look forward to their collaboration with other pact signatories as they share their unique industry-wide expertise and best practices.”
Other current signatories of the pact include retailers Ahold Delhaize USA, ALDI US, Amazon Fresh, Raley’s, Walmart and Whole Foods Market; manufacturers Bob’s Red Mill, Del Monte Fresh Produce Company and Lamb Weston; coalition signatories Health Care Without Harm and R&DE Stanford Food Institute; foodservice signatories Aramark, Compass Group USA, ISS Guckenheimer and Sodexo USA; quick-service restaurants Chick-fil-A and Starbucks; and hospitality signatory Hilton.