The OSU Food Waste Collaborative held the “Harnessing Consumers and Communities to Help Meet U.S. Food Waste Reduction Goals,” conference, webinar and networking event on August 26, 2016.
The goal of the event was to convene those interested in reducing and redirecting food waste in their own communities and create opportunities for networking and collaboration. The morning sessions featured national and local experts who shared emerging insights into current trends and best practices on how consumers and communities can reduce food waste and divert food waste from landfills in support of the United States’ first-ever national food waste reduction goals. The afternoon provided an opportunity for attendees to interact with local experts, national experts, and other participants who shared similar organizational objectives.
Topics discussed including the role of consumers and communities in meeting food waste reduction goals, shaping household behavior to meet community food waste goals, food waste diversion options for communities, overcoming barriers to food waste diversion programs, and beginning baseline household food waste data collection. The OSU Food Waste Collaborative is evaluating feedback from participants to decide upon future events to help this nascent community of practitioners and researchers.