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 Meal delivery company DoorDash has partnered with Feeding America to tackle two daunting problems at the same time: food waste and hunger. The fundamental problem for foodservice companies who want to donate surplus food to food banks and shelters is logistics. San Francisco-based DoorDash works with local and national restaurants in more than 600 cities across the U.S. and Canada. It has been running a pilot program using their drivers to deliver donated meals to recipient agencies, but had trouble identifying those agencies. Feeding America provided the answer: the partnership gives DoorDash access to the hunger-relief organization’s network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs.
"Feeding America Teams with DoorDash to Combat Food Waste", Waste360, February 07, 2018
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 California-based Apeel Sciences has developed a plant-based edible skin – dubbed “Edipeel” – that quadruples the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, and reduces need for fungicides and refrigerated produce transport. Edipeel creates an “idealized little micro-climate inside of each piece of produce” that retards spoilage, according to the company founder, who has convinced investors to pump $40 million into the venture since 2012. The company uses materials extracted from plants, usually agricultural by-products such as tomato skins, combines them, then processes them into a water-soluble powder. When mixed with water, the material can be sprayed on produce or the produce can be dipped in it.
"Apeel Sciences Seeks to Slash Fresh Produce Waste with Plant-Based Edible Skin: 'We've created this Idealized Little Micro-Climate Inside of Each Piece of Produce'", FOODnavigator-USA.com, February 12, 2018
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 Researchers at Ohio State University have determined that people who on average left just three percent of their food on their plates when choosing their own meals left almost 40 percent behind when given a standard boxed-lunch type of meal. Plate waste at home was 3.5 percent higher when diners went for seconds or thirds. But the study’s lead author also noted that efforts to reduce food waste at home would be better directed toward other conservation tactics, like using up food before it spoils. Plate waste is a more serious problem at school cafeterias and event buffets.
"Clean Plates Much More Common When We Eat at Home", News release, Ohio State University, February 14, 2018
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 In an effort to divert 50,000 tons of food waste from landfills, the New York City sanitation department is implementing new rules for restaurants and grocery stores on handling food waste. Businesses covered by the rules may: hire a private carter, self-transport, or process their food scraps on site for beneficial use, such as for compost; donate unsold food to a charity or food bank; sell or donate the food to a farmer for feedstock; and sell or donate meat by-products to a rendering company. Covered establishments include restaurants with at least 15,000 square feet of floor area, chain restaurants with 100 or more locations in the city, and grocery stores with at least 25,000 square feet of space.
"New York to Require More Restaurants, Grocery Stores to Put Food Waste to Good Use", NBC Universal, February 15, 2018
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Rather than discard the 40 percent of his cauliflower crop that doesn’t pass the grocer’s cosmetics test, an Australian farmer figured out a way to turn a loss into profit. In a process known as “value-adding,” he took the slightly damaged part of the crop and turned it into the fast-cooking and nutritious “cauli-rice” that is sold in grocery stores. It’s been a complicated venture, because he decided to handle the processing, packaging, marketing, and distribution himself. But sales have been good and are getting better. And there are a lot fewer tons of unsold cauliflowers in the landfill.
"Farmer Turns Food Waste into Healthy Cauliflower Rice Convenience Product", ABC, February 15, 2018
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 Giant U.S. meat producer Tysons Foods has set its strategic sights on the snack business in a way that will put some of its scraps to good use. A company R&D team was given six months to figure out a way make protein-based snacks from materials that would otherwise go to the landfill. As consumers turn away from sugary snacks, they are buying more protein snacks, creating a $2.9 billion market in 2017. Tyson thinks it can take ingredients like poultry scraps, spent grain from brewers, and vegetable pulp from juicers to create high-protein snacks. Tyson has already begun to branch out from poultry into snacks: its acquisition of Hillshire Brands in 2014 brought with it the jerky brand Golden Island, and Tyson has used the Hillshire name to launch a line of meat snacks.
"Tyson Innovation Lab Aims to Turn Scraps Into Snacks", Bloomberg, February 21, 2018
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A bill wending its way through the West Virginia legislative process will allow distribution of unused school food to students. The bill, which just passed the House of Delegates, is modeled after a nationwide initiative known as Share Table that has the approval of the USDA as a tool to reduce food waste. If enacted, the measure would allow schools to work with county health departments and the USDA to come up with guidelines to distribute unused food to students or have it collected and donated to charitable organizations. More than 79,000 children in the state lived with food insecurity in 2017. The measure now goes to the state Senate for consideration.
"Bill Would Allow Schools to Pass Out Unused Food", The Herald Dispatch, February 24, 2018
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 France’s two-year-old food waste law bans grocery stores from throwing away edible food. Stores that violate the law can be fined $4,500 for each infraction. But the law has affected much more than grocery stores. A whole subculture of food donation, collection, and distribution has sprung up across the country. Five thousand charities depend on the food bank network, which now gets nearly half of its donations from grocery stores. The new law has increased the quantity and quality of donations, with more fresh foods and products available farther from their expiration date. The law has also cut back on food waste by eliminating certain constraining contracts between supermarkets and food manufacturers.
"French Food Waste Law Changing How Grocery Stores Approach Excess Food", National Public Radio, February 24, 2018
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 A New York City bakery is collaborating with a brewery in a project whose overall mission is to cut food – especially bread – waste. Startup brewer Toast Ale uses unsold, but still fresh, bread donated by artisanal bakery Bread Alone, which also donates much of its surplus to churches, food pantries, and other charities. Toast Ale, like all brewers, needs food starch to make its product. The company gets at least some of its food starch from bread donated by Bread Alone Bakery. The starch forms sugars, that are eventually fermented to make beer. According to Toast Ale, it has brewed more than 5,000 gallons of beer in New York, and “saved more than 2,200 pounds of bread."
"Drink Beer to Help Save the Planet? It’s happening in NYC", PIX11, February 24, 2018
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In a recent interview, Sreejit Nair, sales director of India’s Rakyan Beverages, said its Raw Pressery juice brand is applying advanced technologies to maintain market leadership in clean-label, cold-pressed juices. The fruit-based beverage category has grown at a CAGR of more than 30 percent over the past decade, thanks to the rise of health-conscious beverage consumers looking to avoid preservatives, chemicals, sugar, and artificial colors. The company uses HPP (high pressure processing) technology to pasteurize its juices, made with fresh fruits and vegetables sourced from farmers across India and abroad. The pasteurization method extends the shelf life of the juices to 21 days. Robotics and inventory automation ensure proper warehousing. The supply chain is using digitization to control costs, quality, temperature, and time. The company is also working with technology developers to create heat sensing devices that help maintain chiller temperature. In terms of innovation, the
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""We Look to be Asia’s Largest Clean-Label Beverage Co"", Food And Beverage News, March 05, 2018
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 Beginning in May, McDonald’s will make its quarter-pound hamburgers from fresh beef in a move to satisfy customers who have gotten picky about eating processed food. The move will make logistics more complicated for the company and its 14,000 restaurants who have positioned themselves as the place to go for reliable, fast, cheap and delicious food. The company is convinced its basic business is selling burgers, and if consumers want the better quality – and pricier – offerings at fast-casual chains, McDonald’s will offer that. So, franchisees are installing new refrigerators and containers to store the fresh meat. It’s worth the effort, the company feels, to serve burgers that compete well with fast-casual offerings “without sacrificing the consistency and speed McDonald’s customers expect.”
"McDonald’s Puts Fresh Beef on the Menu", The Wall Street Journal, March 06, 2018
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