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Food Recovery to Cut Waste Discussed at Food Justice Summit
- Bob Benenson
- Mar 18
- 7 min read
Leaders Highlighted Different Aspects and Solutions to Help Those in Need
Local Food Forum has reported — recently in an article about the Chicago Food Rescue organization — that as much as 40 percent of the food produced in the United States goes to waste. In Illinois alone, millions of pounds of edible food are discarded each year, while experts say nearly two million residents face food insecurity.
This anomaly was explored in depth on March 12 by an online panel of the three-day Chicago Food Justice Summit.
Titled “Beyond Good Intentions: What We Need to Make Food Recovery and Policy Work,” the panel underscored that more than goodwill is need to ensure that more nutritious surplus food finds its way to those facing food insecurity: It requires cooperation and collaboration among government, businesses, nonprofits and communities — along with policies and practicies that actually work on the ground.
The panel was moderated by Jennifer Herd, a longtime senior policy analyst at the Chicago Department of Public Health, and included food recovery experts Stephanie Katsaros, founder/CEO of BrightBeat; Christina Siebert, executive director of the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County; and Jen Dowd, senior program director at Seven Generations Ahead.
Food Recovery as a Health, Climate and Economic Strategy
Food recovery addresses multiple public policy goals simultaneously: reducing hunger, cutting waste, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Jennifer Herd emphasized that food recovery sits at the intersection of public health and environmental sustainability: “Food insecurity and the environment both have an effect on our health. Food recovery has the potential to address these dual problems while improving individual and community health.”
Illinois faces both sides of the equation:
Nearly 2 million Illinois residents face hunger, including about 500,000 children.
At the same time, roughly 46.5 million tons of waste go to landfills in Illinois each year.
Food waste accounts for up to 20% of that total—more than any other single waste stream.
Food recovery helps redirect edible food to people in need while keeping organic waste out of landfills where it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. But the impact extends beyond environmental benefits. Jennifer noted that building food recovery infrastructure could also generate new jobs and local economic activity, strengthening communities while addressing food insecurity.
One of the key challenges is that food recovery is a highly decentralized practice. Instead, it involves a web of actors across the food system. Stephanie Katsaros described the ecosystem, from food generators to rescue organizations and composting operations.
“Edible food recovery is all about connections,” she said. “It’s understanding and matching the needs of the community with the assets that you have.”
Key players include:
Food Generators
Restaurants
Grocery stores
Food manufacturers
Schools and institutions
Event venues
Recovery and Distribution Partners
Food banks
Food pantries
Mutual aid groups
Food rescue nonprofits
Waste Diversion Partners
Composting operations
Organic waste haulers
Anaerobic digestion facilities
Government and Policy Makers
Federal agencies
State governments
Local municipalities
Each group plays a different role. But when they operate in isolation, edible food often falls through the cracks.
Collaboration in Action: Chicago’s Farmers Market Pilot
Panelists highlighted a successful example of collaboration involving city government, nonprofits and local vendors. A food rescue pilot program at Chicago farmers markets — led by the Natural Resources Defense Council and local partners— demonstrated how coordination can transform surplus into community benefit.
Partners included:
The Urban Canopy, a Chicago company that does urban farming, has a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, and does home pickup of food scraps for composting
Chicagoland Food Sovereignty Coalition, whose mission is to create a better food system by linking mutual aid groups, organizations, businesses, and individuals committed to the effort
City departments and community organizations
Through the program, vendors donated unsold produce at the end of markets; The Urban Canopy collected and stored the food; and mutual aid organizations redistributed it within days.
The results were significant: More than 27,000 pounds of fresh produce were redistributed to community members. Beyond redistribution, the program also included:
Cooking demonstrations so recipients know what do with produce unfamiliar to them
Compost education for residents
Training for vendors on food donation and safety
The effort illustrated how public agencies and community groups can work together to expand food access while reducing waste.
Policy Matters — But It Doesn’t Always Work on the Ground
Government plays a critical role in shaping the food recovery landscape. However, policies designed with good intentions can sometimes create unintended barriers.
Christina Siebert explained that government involvement spans multiple levels.
At the federal level, policies provide liability protection for food donors, tax incentives for donations, and national food waste reduction goals. But local governments often deal with the practical realities: “Policy typically comes from a place of good intention and public benefit, but it has a way of getting mired in the minutiae.”
Some of the most common policy-related barriers include:
Food safety documentation requirements
Liability concerns among businesses
Conflicting regulations
Administrative paperwork
Lack of infrastructure to support mandates
For example, although federal protections like the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act shield donors from liability, many businesses remain unaware of those protections. As a result, significant amounts of edible food that could be saved still go to waste.
The Scale of the Untapped Opportunity
Data shared during the panel highlighted just how much food could potentially be rescued. According to national estimates:
30% of the U.S. food supply becomes surplus
Only about one-fifth of that surplus is suitable for donation
Of that, only about 10% is actually donated
In other words, less than 1% of total food production ends up as donated food.
In Illinois alone, the amount of recoverable food is staggering. A regional study found that:
Restaurants and food service operations generate 20,000–75,000 pounds of surplus food per community each week
Grocery stores can generate hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds weekly
Yet many grocery stores still lack formal donation partnerships. A study by researchers at DePaul University found that fewer than half of grocery stores surveyed had active food donation relationships. The result: enormous quantities of edible food are still discarded.
Food Pantries Have Capacity—but Need Better Supply
The infrastructure on the receiving end also presents opportunities. Food pantries reported that rescued food accounts for 15–33% of their food supply, and many have storage capacity to receive more donations.
However, operational challenges limit recovery, They include transportation logistics, volunteer availability, timing of food pickup, and storage and refrigeration capacity. A typical example illustrates the problem: Food might be available for pickup after a late-night event, but volunteers may not be available at that hour.
Gaps such as these highlight the need for coordinated systems rather than ad hoc efforts.
Building Coalitions Across the Food System
Panelists emphasized the importance of coalitions that bring together stakeholders across sectors. Examples include:
Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition
Wasted Food Action Alliance
Illinois Environmental Council
Feeding Illinois
These collaborations help align policy, infrastructure development and public education.For example, the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition helped expand residential food scrap collection dramatically. In 2012, Illinois had only two pilot programs. Today, more than 100 municipal programs exist, and more than 900,000 residents have access to food scrap collection.
Yet many residents remain unaware of these services, highlighting the need for education alongside infrastructure.
A Major Study to Map the Food Recovery System
To better understand the regional food recovery network, partners launched a major research effort called the Food Recovery Infrastructure Assessment (FRIA). Led by the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County with research conducted by BrightBeat, the study involved outreach to 750 businesses, more than 250 responses, 41 detailed surveys, and site visits/operational assessments.
Researchers identified several key barriers to expanding food donation: Staffing and training limitations; time constraints for food preparation and pickup; lack of storage space; limited awareness of tax incentives; and liability concerns.
Stephanie Katsaros noted that many businesses simply lack the knowledge or connections needed to donate: “What it reflects is variations in awareness of how to donate, infrastructure to donate, and connections to partners."
Policy Developments in Illinois
State policy is increasingly focused on reducing food waste while strengthening food access. Recent Illinois legislation includes:
2021 – School Food Share Plans: Schools must include food sharing strategies in wellness policies.
2022 – School Food Procurement Reform: Schools no longer must choose the lowest bid for food contracting, allowing consideration of local or healthier options.
2024 – Large Event Recycling Law: Large venues must implement recycling and composting programs.
Cook County, which includes Chicago and much of its metro area, has also adopted a similar waste diversion ordinance for major event facilities.
New Legislative Proposal: Feed and Conserve Illinois
There is a new policy effort that aims to further expand food recovery statewide. The Feed and Conserve Illinois coalition supports proposed legislation introduced by state Sen. Adriane Johnson.
The bill would:
Establish guidelines for reducing food waste
Expand food rescue for human consumption
Encourage composting of food scraps
Phase in requirements for large food generators
It also includes protections for food recovery organizations, including the right to refuse donations if they cannot safely handle them. The goal is to create a statewide framework that strengthens food recovery infrastructure while reducing landfill methane emissions.
What Comes Next: A Demonstration Project
Building on research findings, partners are now planning a regional demonstration project. The initiative will test a more coordinated food recovery system by addressing key gaps such as transportation and logistics; cold storage capacity; repackaging and distribution; and communication between donors and recipients.
The project will define a geographic pilot area, implement improvements and measure outcomes. If successful, it could provide a model for scaling food recovery systems statewide.
Key Takeaways
The panel underscored several lessons about what it will take to scale food recovery effectively.
1. Food Recovery Requires System-Level Coordination
Food donation cannot rely solely on goodwill. It requires structured networks connecting donors, rescuers and recipients.
2. Policy Must Align with Operational Reality
Regulations and incentives must reflect the practical challenges faced by businesses and nonprofits.
3. Education Is Critical
Many businesses remain unaware of donation guidelines, tax incentives and liability protections.
4. Infrastructure Gaps Must Be Addressed
Transportation, storage and staffing are major barriers to expanding food recovery.
5. Collaboration Is Essential
Government, nonprofits, businesses and community organizations must work together.
Moving Beyond Good Intentions
Ultimately, solving the food waste and hunger paradox will require more than isolated programs or individual efforts. As Christina Siebert emphasized, “This isn’t something that any one entity is going to solve. We all need to work together.”
The good news is that Illinois already has many of the pieces in place — dedicated organizations, emerging policies, and growing collaboration across the food system.
The challenge now is connecting those pieces into a coordinated system capable of delivering on food recovery’s promise: feeding people, reducing waste, and strengthening communities.
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