Sponsors (4)
The bill invests in definitions, data, coordination, grants, and education to reduce food loss and boost donations—helping food‑insecure households and encouraging climate‑friendly practices—but its modest funding, matching requirements, administrative burdens, and legal uncertainties may limit reach and strain small/local actors.
Low-income individuals and food-insecure households will receive more rescued and donated food because the bill funds infrastructure, regional coordinators, federal contractor donation requirements, and partnerships that speed matching surplus to need.
State, local, Tribal governments and community organizations gain predictable grant funding and pilot program opportunities to build storage, distribution, and recovery capacity and run multi-year projects.
Farmers and supply‑chain actors can access research, prioritized grant support, and technical guidance to reduce on‑farm loss, convert byproducts to animal feed, and recover value from otherwise wasted food.
All taxpayers and many communities face limited impact because the bill's authorized funding levels are modest relative to nationwide food‑waste needs, likely leaving many areas under‑served.
Under‑resourced local, Tribal, and rural applicants and small jurisdictions may be excluded or strained because several grants require non‑federal matches (10% and up to 50%), and USDA may retain administrative percentages of funds.
Small businesses, food donors, contractors, and government agencies could face increased compliance, reporting, and administrative burdens (tracking, reporting, matching), raising costs and potentially delaying program delivery.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a USDA Office, grants, block grants, partnerships, and education programs, and requires contractor donations/reporting to cut food loss and waste 50% by 2030.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Chellie Pingree · Last progress April 10, 2025
Creates a dedicated USDA Office of Food Loss and Waste and a coordinated federal effort to cut U.S. food loss and waste 50% (from 2016 levels) by 2030. The bill funds research, regional coordinators, grants and block grants, public–private partnership awards, an education campaign, and interagency coordination with EPA and FDA to measure, prevent, and divert food loss and waste, while requiring federal contractors to report and donate surplus food. It defines key terms (including an "upcycled food product"), sets grant rules and matching requirements, authorizes annual funding for FY2026–2030 for multiple programs, and directs public reporting, model policy development, and partnerships with states, Tribes, local governments, nonprofits, and private-sector food businesses.