Join the Celebration!
Do you remember what you were doing 10 years ago?
On March 9, 2016, ReFED released A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste, the first-ever national economic analysis and action plan to tackle food waste at scale. Since then, we’ve released many other tools to help everyone—whether they’re new to the issue or were active in food waste long before the Roadmap was published—move from acting on instinct to acting on insights to end food waste.
And while we all have much to celebrate about the progress made since 2016, we’re excited to continue working with you to drive change through the next 10 years.
Introduction
Over the past decade, ReFED and the broader food waste movement have evolved from a small coalition of advocates into a nationally recognized force driving measurable change across business, culture, and policy.
What began as a shared commitment to reduce waste has grown into a data-driven, solutions-oriented ecosystem spanning businesses, nonprofits and community organizations, funders, innovators, policymakers, consumers, researchers, and more—all aligned around a shared vision of making the best use of the food we produce.
What does the next 10 years look like? Not only do we see the positive momentum continuing, but we also see it deepening—with more proven solutions scaling, policy impacts expanding, and food waste reduction becoming embedded in how our food system operates.
Food waste is a systemwide problem, so it will take systemwide action to solve it. Thanks for helping to shape the next chapter of this work!
Timeline
Here are some notable food waste milestones stretching from before the publication of the Roadmap right up through the present day.
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JANUARY 2010
"American Wasteland" Published
Jonathan Bloom’s book American Wasteland (opens in a new tab), which focuses attention on the issue of food waste and its impacts, is published.
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AUGUST 2012
"Wasted" Report Released
“Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food From Farm to Fork to Landfill,” (opens in a new tab) a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) which was written by future ReFED President Dana Gunders, attracts interest from businesses, politicians, and the media.
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OCTOBER 2012
EPA's "Food: Too Good to Waste" Program Piloted
The first pilots of the EPA’s “Food: Too Good To Waste” program (opens in a new tab), which offers a toolkit designed to help households cut their waste, take place.
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SEPTEMBER 2013
Study Highlights Impacts of Confusing Date Labels
“The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America,” (opens in a new tab) a first-of-its-kind legal analysis of federal and state laws related to date labels by NRDC and the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, recommends a new system for food date labeling; more than a decade later in 2025, a new study from ReFED, Harvard, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that consumer confusion over date labels has grown.
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SEPTEMBER 2015
United Nations Adopts SDGs
U.N. member states—including the U.S.—adopt 17 sustainable development goals (opens in a new tab) as part of its 2030 agenda. SDG 12.3 directly relates to food waste, calling for the world to “halve per capita global food waste... and reduce food losses along production and supply chains..."
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MARCH 2016
ReFED Roadmap Released
A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent (opens in a new tab) is published. Written by a team of experts pulled together by Betsy and Jesse Fink, it’s the first analysis to examine the economic opportunity that would result from adopting food waste solutions at scale.
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APRIL 2016
USDA Launches Further With Food
Further With Food (opens in a new tab), the largest public-private partnership on food waste to that date, is convened by the USDA.
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APRIL 2016
"Save the Food" Helps Consumers
Led by NRDC in collaboration with the Ad Council, the “Save the Food” (opens in a new tab) campaign launches and helps consumers better manage their food to cut waste.
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MAY 2016
"Feeding the 5,000" Raises Awareness
“Feeding the 5,000” events (opens in a new tab), one-day food festivals led by the London-based organization Feedback and offering free meals to 5,000 people, take place in Washington, DC, and other U.S. cities, elevating the conversation around food and sustainability policy.
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MAY 2016
Food Waste Comes to Capitol Hill
Dana Gunders, Emily Broad Lieb from the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, and Jesse Fink testify before the House Committee on Agriculture (opens in a new tab) during a hearing entitled “Food Waste From Field to Table.”
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APRIL 2017
ReFED's First Digital Tools Debut
ReFED’s first digital tools—the Innovator Database, a precursor to our current Solution Provider Directory (opens in a new tab), and the Policy Finder (opens in a new tab), developed in partnership with the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic—are launched.
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SEPTEMBER 2018
Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment Launches
At the Global Climate Action Summit, U.S.-based leaders from the food industry are invited to collaborate with area jurisdictions to cut wasted food in the Pacific Coast region in half; the collaboration becomes known as the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment (opens in a new tab) in 2021.
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APRIL 2019
ReFED Partners With USDA, EPA, and FDA
ReFED signs a tri-agency MOU with USDA, EPA, and FDA to build connections between each organization’s respective networks, advance data collection and measurement, identify new cross-sector collaboration opportunities, and more.
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JULY 2019
Food Date Labeling Act First Introduced in Congress
The Food Date Labeling Act (opens in a new tab) is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The act was reintroduced in July 2025 with bipartisan support in both houses of Congress; expectations are high that it will pass in 2026.
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SEPTEMBER 2019
ReFED Accelerator Supports Food Recovery Efforts
ReFED launches its Nonprofit Food Recovery Accelerator (opens in a new tab), which helps equip 10 nonprofit cohort members with the knowledge, network, and capital they need to scale their impact.
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MAY 2020
ReFED Stands Up COVID-19 Fund
ReFED stands up its COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund (opens in a new tab) in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, distributing more than $3.5 million to 37 organizations that collectively prevent more than 90 million pounds of food waste within 90 days.
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JULY 2020
NRDC's "Food Matters" Supports City Efforts
NRDC launches its Food Matters Regional Initiative (opens in a new tab), where city representatives network with one another, NRDC, and local partner organizations to set goals, develop programs, and identify regional strategies to cut waste.
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NOVEMBER 2020
Zero Food Waste Coalition Founded
The Zero Food Waste Coalition (opens in a new tab), which provides information and inspiration for food waste policy action, is founded by ReFED, WWF, Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, and NRDC.
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FEBRUARY 2021
ReFED Launches the Insights Engine
ReFED introduces the Insights Engine (opens in a new tab), the most comprehensive online source for data on food waste and its solutions, and releases the new Roadmap to 2030 to help guide the food system to action.
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MAY 2022
ReFED Catalytic Grant Fund Supports Promising Solutions
The first cohort of the ReFED Catalytic Grant Fund (opens in a new tab) is announced. Since then, more than 20 businesses have received funding, leveraging the Fund’s dollars for follow-on funding worth nearly 12 times what has been granted.
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SEPTEMBER 2023
"No Time to Waste" Introduced in Congress
A bipartisan group of senators and representatives introduces companion bills, “No Time to Waste,” (opens in a new tab) in the U.S. House and Senate; the bills aim to strengthen government coordination, support research and new technology, foster public-private partnerships, and start a public education campaign to reduce food loss and waste.
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DECEMBER 2023
U.S. Food Waste Pact Goes National
ReFED and WWF launch the U.S. Food Waste Pact (opens in a new tab), the first national collaborative framework for businesses—including Walmart, Albertsons, Hilton, Sodexo, Starbucks, and others—to work with their industry peers to drive food waste action.
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APRIL 2024
WWF Tool Supports Farmers
WWF launches the Global Farm Loss Tool (opens in a new tab) in collaboration with the Consumer Goods Forum to provide a user-friendly and simplified approach to help farmers and their buyers identify and address the cause of their on-farm food loss and its associated impacts, including Scope 3 emissions.
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JUNE 2024
National Strategy Announced at ReFED Summit
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announces the final version of the National Strategy to Reduce Food Loss and Waste and Recycle Organics (opens in a new tab) at the 2024 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit in Baltimore.
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FEBRUARY 2025
U.S. Food Waste Report Shows Progress
ReFED publishes its first annual U.S. Food Waste Report (opens in a new tab), detailing the progress, trends, and remaining challenges in the fight against food waste. It's a must-read look at how far we've all come and what lies ahead.
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JANUARY 2026
EPA's "Feed It Onward" Announced
Highlighting the nonpartisan nature of the food waste issue, the EPA introduces “Feed It Onward” (opens in a new tab), which focuses on food recovery efforts, connecting food providers with opportunities to donate more food at risk of going to waste.
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APRIL 2026
Leveraging AI to Fight Food Waste
ReFED introduces the next generation of food waste tools with the release of the Insights Explorer (opens in a new tab), its AI-powered food waste research assistant.
Tickets Now Available
Celebrate With Us At The Summit!
Join us May 19–21 in Charlotte, NC, for three days of insights, inspiration, and action at the 2026 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit.
In addition to informative sessions, actionable takeaways, and extensive networking, we'll have special programming that recognizes this 10-year milestone and celebrates the progress we've all made.
Here's How You Can Take Action
Food waste is a systemwide problem, so solving it will require systemwide action. That’s why we operate with a “big tent” mindset. No matter how you’re connected to the food system, there’s a lot that you can do right now to reduce food waste and bring about change—and we’re here to help.
For Food Businesses
Turn Commitments Into Action
As waste generators, businesses have a special responsibility to commit to progress and take action to reduce food waste. Luckily, there’s a range of solutions—from breakthrough innovations to basic best practices—that can transform your operations. We can show you what works.
For Funders/Investors
Reach Your Investment Goals
Capital of all types is needed to scale food waste reduction solutions, and we’re here to help you make impactful investments. We offer a comprehensive data-driven assessment of financing opportunities, plus more resources and services to help you develop your strategy.
For Food Waste Solution Providers
Maximize Your Impact
We’re committed to helping you grow your impact through partnership opportunities, awareness building, pitch events, and a range of tools and resources—all designed to help get your solution in front of funders and prospective business partners.
For Policymakers
Help Incentivize Action
Policy has the power to spark action, and across the country, federal, state, and local policymakers have opportunities to jump-start necessary change. Our food waste statistics and resources can educate you on what’s working, what’s needed—and the potential impact.
For the Media
Spread the Word
Everyone is connected to the food system and faced with the impacts of food waste. That means there’s a range of potential angles when it comes to food waste stories. ReFED has reporters covered with the most recent food waste statistics and data, expert sources, and more.
New to Food Waste?
Find Your Place In This Fight
We all have a role to play in reducing food loss and waste, and the best way to determine yours is to start at the beginning—by learning about the causes and extent of food waste and which solutions can have the greatest impact.
Supporting ReFED
We're all connected to the food system, so we all play a role in stopping food waste. Learn how you can support the work of ReFED in advancing data-driven food waste solutions.
Together, we can solve food waste.
Explore Our Resources Library
Featured Resource
From Surplus to Solutions: 2025 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report
Across the food system, nearly one third of all food is lost or wasted as it makes its way from farms to our plates. This report represents a landscape assessment, pulling together ReFED data analysis and modeling with external research, supported by qualitative narratives developed through our work with partners across the food waste ecosystem.
