During an event at Uncle Giuseppe鈥檚 Marketplace in Melville, Suffolk County, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar announced Feeding New York State鈥攖he state association of New York鈥檚 10 Feeding America member food banks鈥攃ollected 32 million pounds of food since launching in 2022. Implemented under the New York State Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law, this nation-leading program helps reduce waste and climate-altering emissions caused by landfilling while providing quality food to New Yorkers in need. The latest milestone is a direct result of DEC funding to Feeding New York State to increase new food donations, strengthen partnerships with local providers, and help build stronger, healthier communities.
鈥淔eeding New York families is critical to the long-term health and well-being of communities in every corner of our state,鈥澛燚EC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said.聽鈥淭his latest milestone shows the success of New York鈥檚 Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law, which helps provide healthy, quality food to New York families while reducing greenhouse gases from landfilled waste. I applaud Feeding New York State, our state agency partners, and donors for this latest achievement, and thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her continued support for this vital program.”
Feeding New York State Executive Director Dan Egan said, 鈥淭oday marks a significant achievement in the effort to combat food waste and food insecurity in New York. We celebrate the donation and diversion of 32 million pounds of edible food from landfills, made possible through the collaboration of our member聽food banks, their partner agencies, DEC, and our generous donors. This milestone is a testament to the hard work and passion that drives us toward a sustainable future and ensures that our most vulnerable neighbors have access to nutritious meals.鈥�
New York State鈥檚 partnership with Feeding New York State remains a model for food diversion programs. Implementation of the law and investments by New York to put the program into action helped successfully divert tens of millions of pounds of food to those in need. As of August 2024, Feeding New York State reported receiving an average of two million pounds of food donations each month. This is a significant increase from 300,000 pounds per month during the last 12 months, and the 50-60,000 pounds per month when the program first launched in October 2022. The program previously reached the聽five-million-pound food donation milestone聽in October 2023.
The聽New York State Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law聽continues to see record volumes of food managed sustainably and diverted away from disposal at the state’s largest food-related businesses. DEC provided $4.8 million to Feeding New York State and the 10 regional food banks through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) beginning in October 2021. The funds are used by Feeding New York State to deploy staff to grocery stores, restaurants, colleges, and other food industry facilities to increase participation in the program and encourage food donations. The fund also supported several vehicle and equipment purchases for the 10 regional food banks to increase food pickup capabilities at food pantries, meal centers, and other partner agencies. The ongoing development of innovative solutions such as continuing to enable food bank partner agencies to pick-up edible food from donors reduces wasted food and lowers the carbon footprints of New York state food banks traveling long distances to transport food from donor to receiver.
New York State Senator Pete Harckham, Chair of Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, said, 鈥淚 am so proud to be the Senate sponsor of this legislation that has provided significant help to New Yorkers in need while also significantly cutting emissions. By fighting food insecurity, lowering waste disposal costs and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, we’re making a material difference in our communities. I commend Feeding New York State, the DEC, and Governor Hochul for their partnership and dedication to this vital work. New York State is leading the way with our model for edible food waste reduction to the benefit of our neighbors in need and our environment.鈥�