Divert, FLPC, ZFWC Launch Food Waste Legislative Tracker – Press Release

The tool empowers stakeholders to influence in-progress food waste legislation

August 13, 2024

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Divert, Inc., an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food™, announced today the release of the Food Waste Legislative Tracker to provide insight into in-progress and existing wasted food policy issues across the U.S. Created in partnership with the Zero Food Waste Coalition (ZFWC) and the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), the comprehensive tool will serve to facilitate industry-wide collaboration, advocacy, and engagement around state-level food waste prevention, recovery, and recycling policies. 

“For the past 17 years, Divert has been at the forefront of driving collaboration and solutions to accelerate our collective progress against the wasted food crisis,” said Ryan Begin, CEO and co-founder, Divert. “Food waste legislation is vast and constantly evolving. Too often we see that food industry decision-makers and everyday citizens find out about relevant legislation too late in the process to have an effective role in shaping policy before being signed into law. Together with our partners at ZFWC and FLPC, we are committed to providing a tool that not only informs, but also enables stakeholders across the industry to enact real change.”

While existing resources and tools are available on the food waste legislation already signed into law, the Food Waste Legislative Tracker is unique in that it encompasses information on in-progress state legislation. In doing so, the tool empowers decision-makers, policymakers, and consumers with the knowledge they need to understand and influence food legislation before it is already implemented. The interactive database provides an overview of wasted food prevention, food rescue, and food waste recycling bills in each state, and includes the following:

• Detailed insights into policies from all 50 states 
• Issue areas including organic waste bans, organic waste by-product procurement, food recovery, and date labeling  
• Summaries of bill content 
• Status updates on each bill tracked 

“Providing up-to-date information on bills that are working their way through state legislatures to tackle the issue of food waste is just one of the ways that the Zero Food Waste Coalition is providing tools to accelerate the momentum towards meeting our national goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030,” said Heather Latino, Clinical Instructor at the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic. “Resources like this support our coalition members who are on the ground implementing solutions to food waste. They know first-hand what policy opportunities and barriers exist in their communities and can use the tracker to engage in their state’s legislative process to replicate or drive supportive policy solutions.”
The Food Waste Legislative Tracker will be updated on a quarterly basis. For more information and for access to the tool, please click here. 

About Divert, Inc.
Divert, Inc. is an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food™. Founded in 2007, the company creates advanced technologies and sustainable infrastructure to eliminate wasted food, driving social and environmental impact. Divert provides an end-to-end solution that leverages data to prevent waste, facilitates edible food recovery to serve communities in need, and converts wasted food into renewable energy. The company works with over 6,600 customer locations across the U.S. to reduce wasted food and positively impact people and the environment. Its customer base spans across industries and includes five Fortune 100 companies. For more information on Divert, Inc., please visit www.divertinc.com.

About The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic
The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) serves partner organizations and communities by providing guidance on cutting-edge food system issues, while engaging law students in the practice of food law and policy. FLPC’s work focuses on increasing access to healthy foods, supporting sustainable production and regional food systems, promoting community-led food system change, and reducing waste of healthy, wholesome food. FLPC is committed to advancing a cross-sector, multi-disciplinary and inclusive approach to its work, building partnerships with academic institutions, government agencies, private sector actors, and civil society with expertise in public health, the environment, and the economy. For more information, visit chlpi.org/flpc and follow them on twitter at @HarvardFLPC. 

About the Zero Food Waste Coalition
The Zero Food Waste Coalition is a national effort to inform and influence U.S. food waste policy at the federal, state, and local levels in order to accelerate progress and build momentum by bringing together stakeholders from across the food system. The Coalition was launched by the Natural Resources Defense Council, World Wildlife Fund, ReFED, and FLPC in April 2023, formalizing a partnership that began in January 2020. 

Divert Media Contact
Caroline Legg
Director of Public Relations
(203) 313-4228
clegg@divertinc.com 

ZFWC Media Contact
Lucy Shanker
Communications Lead
zfwcoalition@gmail.com 

FLPC Media Contact
Ada Ezeokoli
Communications Manager
aezeokoli@law.harvard.edu