Taking Action to Prevent Wasted Food

While the primary focus of the MNCC is on the development, expansion, and promotion of the composting industry, and recycling organic waste including food scraps, the MNCC also recognizes that preventing wasted food is a priority.

The Environmental Protection Agency developed the Wasted Food Scale to demonstrate the hierarchy of how to reduce the environmental impact of wasted food, starting with prevention.

Below you'll find some excellent resources to learn about the food waste problem, large-scale solutions to the problem, and steps we can all take at home to reduce food waste.

The Food Waste Problem

Approximately one third of all food produced for human consumption is never eaten. The U.S. EPA has researched the impacts of this problem.

The Roadmap to Reducing Food Waste

Food waste is a significant problem that impacts our environment and beyond. ReFed has developed a roadmap to achieve the national goal to reduce food waste in half by 2030.

Steps We All Can Take

The largest portion of food waste comes from our homes. That means our actions can make a big difference. Find out what steps you can take to transform the food waste problem.


NEW! Local Food Waste Policy Toolkit
Developed by Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School
​(click the photo to learn more!)