What if all the saleable food sent to the landfill could be used to feed people facing food insecurity, reduce food waste, and protect the natural world?

39.5% of adults and 48.4% of children in New York City faced food hardship in 2023. 18% of families and 11% of employed adults rely on food pantries. Access to healthy food fosters better school and job performance, and improved health outcomes. It’s vital to the well-being of our residents, communities, and economy.

Food waste causes immense environmental impacts. The US annually wastes 30–40% of its food supply, ~133 billion pounds worth $161 billion. 1/3 of all landfill waste is food. 43% comes from households, 40% from restaurants, retailers, and food service companies, 16% from farms, and 2% from manufacturers. Grocers annually discard 30% of their food: 16 billion pounds valued at twice the sale profits.

Discarded food also causes other losses beyond waste: resources used to grow, package, and transport that food, greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from the landfill waste caused by discarded food, and nutrition this food would provide to those who face hunger. With less food waste and fewer landfill emissions, land, water, and air would be cleaner.

The food waste challenge is rooted in logistics and operations: We lack proper distribution and tools to make use of all the food we have. A combination of technology and compassion can fix this. That’s why I’m building Food Matchmaker.

I’m currently looking to interview stakeholders engaged in the food supply chain.

The preliminary set of stakeholders includes:
– Government agencies and nonprofits focused on food, hunger, waste management, and environmental protection
– Individuals and families
– Restaurants, bakeries, cafes, delis, and bodegas
– Grocers, supermarkets, and retailers
– Food service companies
– Farmers
– Shelters, pantries, food banks, and other food distributors

If you or someone you know fits is in one of these stakeholder groups, please email me at christa(dot)avampato(at)gmail(dot)com.