[Chicago, IL, October 16, 2024] — The U.S. Food Waste Pact, a national voluntary agreement focused on reducing food waste in the U.S. through pre-competitive collaboration and data sharing, announced today that Health Care Without Harm, which works to make health care institutions around the world more sustainable, has become its latest signatory. This marks an important opportunity for the U.S. Food Waste Pact to extend its reach to hospitals across the U.S., which can generate nearly 290k tons of food waste per year.
In the United States, 38% of food produced in the United States—nearly 89 million tons—goes uneaten or unsold, with the vast majority becoming waste that gets sent to destinations like landfills, incinerators, and sewer systems, according to estimates by ReFED, which co-leads the U.S. Food Waste Pact with World Wildlife Fund. This surplus has harmful effects on the environment, generating 6.1% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions including the highly potent methane. It’s equivalent to 145 billion meals and costs the country $473 billion annually.
“We’re thrilled to bring the U.S. Food Waste Pact to our network of over 1,700 hospitals and health systems,” said Emma Sirois, National Director, Healthy Food in Health Care at Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth. “Our food waste solutions initiative encourages health care to join the global community to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030. Membership in the Pact allows our health care partners to make a formal, data-driven commitment. Health Care Without Harm collaborates with the health care sector for a resilient future, focusing on mitigating climate change and fostering equity in our communities. By addressing food waste, health care can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while tackling critical issues of equity and hunger.”
Founded over 30 years ago, Health Care Without Harm is an international organization dedicated to providing resources, knowledge, and inspiration to the health care sector, leading several initiatives to make it more sustainable and reduce its environmental impact. Through their partnership network, Practice Greenhealth, their food initiatives are rooted in seven core values for a better food system. The organization supports health care by taking action through food procurement, food as medicine initiatives, plant-forward menus, and food waste reduction.
“Health Care Without Harm’s participation in the U.S. Food Waste Pact is so consequential,” said Jackie Suggitt, VP of Business Initiatives & Community Engagement at ReFED. “This partnership increases our impact by expanding our food waste reduction efforts to the health care sector. Their commitment to reducing food waste makes them a leader on this issue in the health care industry, and their unique voice will be valuable to our other signatories at the table.”
Health Care Without Harm joins the Pact as its first signatory in the coalition partner category. Other signatories in the foodservice sector are Aramark, Compass Group USA, Guckenheimer, and Sodexo USA; retailers Ahold Delhaize USA, ALDI US, Amazon Fresh, Raley’s, Walmart Inc., and Whole Foods Market; manufacturers Bob’s Red Mill, Del Monte Fresh Produce Company, and Lamb Weston, Inc.; and Chick-fil-A as the Pact’s first signatory in the quick-service restaurant subsector.
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About the U.S. Food Waste Pact
The U.S. Food Waste Pact is a national voluntary agreement that uses the “Target, Measure, Act” framework to reduce food waste across the supply chain. The Pact works with waste-generating food businesses to collect and analyze data about food waste in their operations, share best practices through pre-competitive working groups, and pilot and scale solutions through intervention projects. The Pact is an initiative between nonprofits ReFED and the World Wildlife Fund. For more information about the U.S. Food Waste Pact, visit http://usfoodwastepact.org/.
About Health Care Without Harm
Health Care Without Harm seeks to transform health care worldwide so the sector reduces its environmental footprint and becomes a leader in the global movement for environmental health and justice.
Practice Greenhealth is the innovation hub scaling the work of Health Care Without Harm. It is the leading sustainable health care organization, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,700 hospitals and health systems in the United States and Canada.
Media Contacts:
Nia D’Emilio, ReFED
Susan McCarthy, WWF