| Program Name: | Food Recovery Challenge |
| Program Sponsor: | EPA (Federal) |
| Program Type: | Management Software/ Data Tracking |
| Technology: | Waste Management |
| Fuel: | N/A (Waste) |
| Eligibility: | U.S.-based organizations and businesses |
| Cost: | None |
Description
The Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) is a voluntary incentive program in which organizations and businesses set data-driven goals, implement targeted strategies to reduce wasted food in their operations, and report results to compete for annual data-driven and narrative awards recognition from EPA.
Eligibility
The FRC is available to U.S.-based organizations and businesses. Only activities and reductions that occurred since a participant’s prior award-cycle are considered for awards in a given year.
How The Program Works
Businesses can participate as partners – businesses and organizations that generate and work to prevent food waste – and endorsers – businesses that may not generate food waste but want to educate other organizations about the benefits of food waste reduction and possibly help recruit FRC participants. FRC participation provides partners access to a network of peer entities committed to diverting waste from landfills.
All participants create an account on ReTRAC Connect and complete the applicable forms for their partnership type. Partners and endorsers next complete their respective Annual Data & Goal Forms, which require a full year of baseline data. To derive the data, partners must complete an inventory of current food waste quantities and calculate estimates of how much can be diverted through the actions detailed in the Food Recovery Hierarchy. For endorsers, the baseline data may include associated metrics for education or recruitment efforts. The baseline data provides all participants a starting point for goal setting.
The Food Recovery Hierarchy is the main action tool provided to participants. There are five levels – source reduction, donation, feeding animals, industrial uses, and composting – and EPA considers the impact of actions to decrease with each descending level. EPA further provides a list of food waste reduction habits for each tier.
To be eligible for the annual data-driven and narrative awards, partners and endorsers must complete the required forms and provide required annual data and goals (two consecutive years for data-driven awards) in ReTRAC Connect by the designated date.
Contact Information
Rachel Chaput, EPA Region 2 Regional Representative
(212) 637-4116
General inquiries can be emailed to smmfood@epa.gov.