Share’s Philly Food Rescue tackles PA’s increasing rates of food waste

Pennsylvania tossed out 2.89 million tons of surplus food in 2022 — the bulk of which came from residential households, per data from the nonprofit ReFED.

Why it matters: Food waste makes up nearly a quarter of municipal landfill input and contributes to 6.1% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Fortunately, Share Food Program’s Philly Food Rescue (PFR) initiative is moving the needle on food waste prevention efforts in Philly.

With the help of volunteers, PFR rescues fresh, surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses and quickly redistributes it to 300+ affordable housing providers, community fridges, places of worship, medical clinics, after-school centers, pantries, and shelters.

In 2023, PFR rescued and resourced neighbors with 6.8 million pounds of food.

Britt Korn, food recovery coordinator for Share Food Program initiative, tells Axios that further cutting down on food waste in Philly could help reduce the city’s high level of food insecurity. “It’s all about keeping good food within neighborhoods and keeping good food out of the trash.”

Read the full story on Axios.