Reducing Food Waste & Fighting Hunger

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) today joined U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, as well as her colleague Congressman David Young (R-IA) and stakeholders, for a roundtable discussion on the issue of food waste.   “I applaud Secretary Perdue for exploring what USDA can do to help reduce the massive amount of food that goes to waste in the United… Read more »

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Congressman David Young (R-IA) launched a bipartisan House Food Waste Caucus to explore opportunities to reduce food waste.   Last Friday was “Stop Food Waste Day,” an international day of action to address food waste.  It is estimated that 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. goes to waste.  A recent U.S.… Read more »

Comprehensive legislation will curb food waste to prevent hunger, reduce environmental impact Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree applauded new industry standards on food date labeling released today by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute. She will soon be reintroducing legislation to set a national uniform system for date labeling.  “Per capita, food waste in the U.S. costs a family of four $1,500 every year. Much of that food is… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has kicked off her efforts in the new Congress to reduce food waste.  She is an original cosponsor of a bipartisan bill, The Food Donation Act of 2017, introduced yesterday by Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to modernize food donation protections, and plans to reintroduce two food waste bills in the coming weeks.  “Food waste in America is a… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree applauded guidance the USDA released yesterday encouraging manufacturers to use a “Best if used by” date label.  “It’s estimated that 30 percent of the food consumers purchase gets thrown out.  Much of that waste has to do with confusion over the meaning of a barrage of inconsistent date labels—‘Best by,’… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree testified before the House Agriculture Committee today to kick off the first-ever Congressional hearing focused on the problem of food waste in the United States. "When good food goes to waste on the farm, it means the resources used to grow that food—fuel, labor and water—is also wasted.  When it goes to waste in a local restaurant it means… Read more »

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) today introduced commonsense bicameral legislation to standardize food date labeling. The current dizzying array of date labels on food products—such as “sell by,” “use by,” and “expires on”— confuses consumers and contributes to 90 percent of Americans… Read more »

Loan program will help farmers buy refrigerated trucks, storage and processing facilities, thanks to legislation written by Pingree Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a big expansion of a loan program that will now help small farmers acquire refrigerated trucks and mobile processing and storage facilities so they can more… Read more »

A tax break that Congresswoman Chellie Pingree says will reduce food waste passed the House today as part of a larger package of tax provisions. The provision creates a permanent, "enhanced" tax deduction for grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers who donate excess food to organizations like food banks and soup kitchens.   The provision, which is part of Pingree's Food Recovery… Read more »