Pennsylvania looks to help food banks trim food waste in state

Area food banks are hailing a new state grant program that aims to reduce food waste through the purchase of refrigerators, freezers, refrigerant vehicles and other equipment.

“It really comes along at a good time,” said Dennis McManus, head of government relations for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in Duquesne.

Food banks have become more attuned to reducing food waste as the distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables has become more of a priority, he said.

“Food recovery is something we’ve been doing since the earliest days of our existence and continue to do,” McManus said. “In 2018, we rescued 12.2 million pounds of donated perishable food.”

The grant program recently announced by the state Department of Environmental Protection offers cash awards of up to $200,000 for eligible nonprofit organizations to buy equipment that keeps food fresh and out of landfills.

Funding for the Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant Program comes from the state’s Recycling Fund.

“This funding will help nonprofits afford the necessary equipment to transport and maintain food items so that they can not only continue their efforts to help those in need but also reduce and prevent food waste,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell.

The DEP sees food recovery and reducing food waste as an “environmental justice” issue because food that ends up in a landfill emits methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, McDonnell said.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that of the roughly 40 million tons of food waste generated nationwide in 2015, three-quarters — or 30.3 million tons — went to landfills, representing nearly a quarter of all solid waste sent to landfills, according to DEP.

The EPA estimate does not include food waste that is diverted to food banks or that food banks, in turn, give to local farms to feed livestock.

Food banks keep food out of the waste stream by distributing items that have a limited shelf life, such as donated produce from farms, or is close to the end of its shelf life, such as products from grocery stores.

Both the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and the Westmoreland County Food Bank have programs that distribute fresh produce to people in need in a timely manner. As a result of its Fresh Express program, the Westmoreland County Food Bank since 1999 has saved millions of pounds of donated perishable food from going to the landfill, CEO Jennifer Miller said.

“Instead of throwing it away, it can be used by people who need it the most,” she said. “We try not to put anything in the landfill that doesn’t have to be there.”

Fresh Express uses a different distribution point in Westmoreland County every week. The Pittsburgh food bank has a similar program called Produce to People, which uses 17 distribution points in the food bank’s 11-county service area.

“We’re trying to get to 50% of the food we distribute being fresh fruits and vegetables, because it’s healthy. The problem with it is, it’s perishable, so it needs to be kept cool or cold,” McManus said.

Miller and McManus said their agencies are interested in the DEP grant program.

McManus said the Pittsburgh food bank would like to establish a cold re-pack area where perishable food can be safely repackaged. It also would like to enlarge its refrigeration capacity.

“There are a number of things we have planned that fit into the rubric of food recovery,” he said.

The grant application deadline is April 24, and interested organizations must first meet with their DEP regional planning and recycling coordinator in order to apply.