Podcast appearances and mentions of dana gunders

Do you pay attention to information printed on food labels? From eye-catching designs companies use to entice you to buy a product to nutrition facts panels to the tiny dates printed on packages. There's a lot going on to be sure. For policymakers, they hope that refining date labels on food packaging will help reduce the amount of uneaten food ending up in landfills. Food Waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety and Inspection Service recently asked for public input on food date labels. So, we decided to gather some experts together to talk about this important policy tool. Roni Neff is a professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Senior Advisor at the School's Center for a Livable Future. Her research looks at the intersection of food waste policy, climate change, and food system resilience. Brian Roe is a professor at the Ohio State University Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Developmental Economics. His work focuses on issues including agricultural marketing, information policy, behavioral economics, and product quality. Ruiqing Miao is an associate professor of agricultural economics and rural sociology at Auburn University's College of Agriculture. His research emphasizes sustainability, innovation, and decision making. Interview Summary Brian, let's begin with you and let's make sure everyone's on the same page. Can you talk to us a little bit about what date labels are and where they are on packaging. And what is industry required to include in terms of these date labels? Yes, so date labels, we see them anytime we pick up a food package. Most packages are going to have some type of date label on them. Oddly, federal law doesn't regulate these or really require these other than the exception of infant formula, which is the only federal requirement domain out there. But in the absence of federal regulation, states have kind of done their own thing. About 40 different states require date labels on at least some food products. And about 20 states prohibit or restrict the sale or donation of food past the label date. And even though states that require date labels, manufacturers can still choose the dates. There are no real regulations on them. So, recognizing that confusion over date labels can lead to unnecessary food waste, Government and industry actors have made, you know, some efforts to try to standardize date labeling language. But nothing terribly authoritative. Now, some states have introduced bills that seek to standardize date labels, with the motivation to try to get rid of and reduce food waste. California being perhaps the most recent of these. In 2024, they passed a bill that prohibits the use of any date label other than 'Best if Used By,' the phrase that goes along with foods where the date represents kind of a quality indicator. And then the phrase 'Use By,", if that date has some implications for product safety. The bill doesn't go into effect until July of '26, so we're going to see if this is going to create a domino effect across other states, across the food manufacturing center or even bubble up and be dealt with at the federal legislation level. Now, industries tried to do things before. Back in 2017, the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocers Manufacturers Association had a standardized date labeling suggestion that some firms bought into. FDA has given out some guidance about preferring 'Best if Used By' on certain food products to indicate quality. But again, we're all kind of waiting to see if there might be a federal legislation that kind of brings these state labels into check. Thanks, Brian. And it's really important to know about the policy landscape and the fact that there hasn't been a federal policy across all foods. And it's interesting to see the efforts of, say, in California. I think this begs the question; how do consumers actually process the information of date labels? This fascinated us too. A very clever person at Ohio State that I work with, Dr. Aishwarya Badiger, led a study I was part of. We enlisted consumers to come into the Consumer Evaluation Lab that we have here on campus and evaluate samples of milk. They were presented with the label of each milk. We gave them a little glass with a nose full of the milk that they could sniff. So, they're looking at the date label, they're given the sample they could smell, and then we kind of asked them, Hey, if this were in your fridge, would you keep it or toss it? But the entire time we actually had them fitted with special glasses that precisely track their eye movements so we could understand kind of which information they were looking at while they went through the whole process of evaluating and then making their decision. Consumers overwhelmingly looked at the date itself on the package and largely ignored the phrase or the words that go along with the date. In fact, for more than half of the evaluations, the consumer's eyes never went anywhere near the phrase. This is important. And actually, we'll talk about that a little bit more with some of our other guests. So, what are the implications of date label policies? So the eye tracking research really drove home to me that dates are much more salient than phrases. Although all the policies largely deal with the phrases. Dates give you actionable information. People can look at the date on the label, look at the calendar, and man, that's something they can do something about. They can act based upon that. The phrases are a little bit more ambiguous as Roni will talk about later. I think that people have a hard time interpreting what those phrases really mean. That doesn't mean we should not try to unify those phrases, but rather this is going to be a longer-term investment in educational infrastructure that until those phrases really become salient and actionable to consumers. And then become more of a critical component of the policies. But right now, policies are generally silent on dates. And dates seem to be the real action mover. Yeah. So why don't we just get rid of all of this? What would be the implications? Yes. We did this experiment too. Same kind of setup. Had people come in, they had the jug of the milk in front of them. They had a glass of milk that they could sniff. Same thing. And we had a bunch of different milks. We had some that were only like 15 days post pasteurization. Some that went out to like 40 days past pasteurization. So, the youngest or the freshest had about three days, quote unquote, left on its date label. The 40-day old milk was like two or three weeks past the date. And we did two things. We had them evaluate the milk with the dates on the jugs, and then we had ones where we took the dates and the labels off the milk. Not surprisingly, when they did not have the dates on the milk, they were much more likely to say that they would keep the milk. Even that 40-day old milk, about half of them said, yeah, I'd drink this. I'd keep this if it were in my fridge. But it wasn't a slam dunk. So, our youngest and freshest milk had an odd flavor note. You know, sometimes as the seasons change, feed sources change for cattle, you get an odd flavor note. It's not spoilage, it's just a slightly different note. And when people have the date label, they were much more willing to give that milk a second chance and say that they would keep it. But if the date label wasn't on there, they took that odd flavor note and said, I'm going to toss this milk. So, it's really kind of a nuanced thing. And if you would take those off, I think you're going to get some consumers who are going to kind of freak out without any guidance. And they might have kind of an itchy trigger finger when it comes to throwing away that milk or other products. So, it's compelling. We've seen England, the UK, do this; take dates off of certain products. But I would probably want to see a little more example of how consumers are responding to that before I fully endorse that as kind of a policy movement forward. Brian, thank you for that. And I have got to say, I was not expecting to have a conversation about the bouquet of a glass of milk. But this is really an interesting finding, and it does help us understand some other things that we're going to talk about. Roni, I want to turn our attention to you. And I know you are someone who's been involved in understanding date labels for a while. And I really appreciate it and I've said it before, but you're the reason I got into this work. I want to understand a little bit more about what are important things to understand about the misconceptions that consumers may have about food date labels? And why does it matter for policymakers? Well, I'll start with just saying that conceptions are what we know rationally. And it's not the whole picture because as Brian was alluding to a lot of our decision making is going on in our emotions. And like I can tell my son all day long the fact that that milk is okay, he's going to toss it because he doesn't trust it. There's a lot more going on than conceptions. But I want to talk about two misconceptions. The first one is that despite what Brian just said about the fact that these date labels other than infant formula aren't federally regulated, about two in five people think that they are. We just did a national consumer survey in January 2025, and this is one of the findings. And I did that along with Emily Broad Lieb from the Harvard Food Law and Policy Project and Akif Khan also from there, and then Dana Gunders from ReFED. And in addition to this idea that they're federally regulated, I'll say that these kinds of beliefs were most common among those who were 18 to 34, parents with children under age 18, and black and Hispanic consumers. Our earlier work also found that those who think that food date labels are federally regulated are more likely to discard food based on them. All this speaks to a real challenge. And, you know, it kind of makes sense, like if you see something and you trust it, that it's from the federal government. And of course, we all trust the federal government these days. If you trust it, then you're going to respond to it. So that's an implication for food policy. And then the next thing we did also is that we tested understanding of five different food date label phrases: a date with no text, and then two of those phrases accompanied by icon images. And since none of these actually have a federally recognized meaning the correct answer for all of them in terms of the meaning is like other. But we also accepted answers that were aligned with that voluntary industry standard, just to kind of see how people were perceiving it. And, across all of these labels, only an average of 53% of people answered correctly about what these labels meant. Now, consumers were pretty good at identifying 'Best if Used By' as a quality label. But the real challenge comes in with 'Use By' which under the voluntary industry standards should be a safety label. And more people thought it was a quality label than thought it was a safety label; 44% versus 49%. And so, we need to clear up these misconceptions in support of food safety, in support of food waste prevention. But in order to do that, we need to be able to tell people clearly what the labels mean. And we can't really do that if there's no standardized meaning of what they mean. So, we really need a national standard, and that is the policy implication. Thank you for that. And I know Ruiqing and I have done some work in this space and in part learning from what you all have done. I'm interested because you mentioned the 2025 survey, but of course you also mentioned the 2016 survey. Are there any big shifts or anything that you want to tell us about changes that you see from those two different surveys? We asked a number of the same or almost identical questions in those two surveys. And since that time, we've adopted a voluntary industry standard and there's been a lot of education and communication about wasted food. And yet in our survey we actually found that things were going in the wrong direction. Consumer misunderstandings of date labels increased. Those who quote always or usually discard food based on the label: in 2016, that was 37%, and this year it was 43%. And then in terms of belief that these are federally regulated: in 2016 it was 36% and now it's 44%. We're going in the wrong direction despite all these activities, and I don't know why. I think for those who are looking for future research questions, this would be a really interesting one. This is really disturbing because all of the information that's come out about date labels. I thought people would understand this. And that this is where we would be in a different place. So, this work is really important. So, how did people's response to date labels vary by food item? Did you see any differences? Because this is something that comes up often that people may be more responsive to some food products versus others? Yeah, indeed. We asked about five different foods, and we showed a bunch of different labels for each food. And the responses did vary both based on the item and based on what label was on it. And I'll start with where caution is needed. Deli meats are one example of where we really want people to pay attention to that label. And while there's no federal standard that label's the best piece of information people has, so they should use it. And we found that only 65% would throw out the deli meat before, on, or just after the 'Use By' label. And the number of people that would respond to it reduced with other labels that were used, and older adults were most likely to disregard those labels. And they may be particularly vulnerable in terms of foodborne illness. So that's when lack of caution leads to risk. On the other hand, when caution leads to waste, we looked at raw chicken, pasteurized milk, lettuce, and breakfast cereal. And for all of those there, like the label is really only telling you about quality, and consumers should use their senses to decide, and knowledge of how that was, stored to decide whether to eat it. And so, the most common out of all five foods, including the deli, the one that they responded the strongest to was raw chicken. And that chicken can be contaminated as we know, but if you cook it, you're killing those bacteria, so it's okay. And averaging across all those different date labels, we found 54% would discard these four foods based on the date. And the piece that was most striking to me was that for breakfast cereal, 43% said they were discarded based on the date. So, we've got some education to do. Yeah. In the earlier paper I did with colleagues at Cornell, we used breakfast cereal and we were surprised to see how much people willing to throw away breakfast cereal if it were passed to date. There is confirmation and we see this happen in many other products. And we'll definitely talk about some of those product differences with Ruiqing. The last question I'd like to ask you is you found that many consumers thought they knew the meanings of the various food date labels, but they were incorrect. And in some of the work that you've done in the past, you found that many people answered incorrectly even after viewing information about the labels. So even when you educated folks or gave people information, they still made incorrect choices. Why do you think this is, and what should we do about it? And some people's responses do improve when you show them the information, but it was striking in that study that seconds after having read the definition, according to the voluntary industry standard, people were giving the wrong answer. Even though they had previously said that they thought they understood it. So, to me, this suggests that they already think they know the answer and so they're not tuning in. And this speaks to a real challenge that we're going to have when we do standardize these date labels. How are we going to reach people and capture their attention. Like, if we just change the policy, that does nothing. We've got to reach people and we've got to do it in a sophisticated and well-planned way. And I think the education should also emphasize that misunderstandings are common because that might be something that would help wake people up. But beyond that, we've got to capture their attention. So, you know, dancing clowns, whatever it is that wakes people up. I have a fear of clowns, so I'm not sure if I want that as a policy recommendation. However... For the deli meats we want you to be afraid, so it's okay. Yes, I agree. I agree. One of the things that this conversation has helped us see is that there's some real concerns around whether or not people are paying attention to the label. Or there may be paying more attention to the dates. And even when people are taught or encouraged to think about the dates, there seems to be a mismatch. And Ruiqing, I want to now turn to you because one of the things in the study that we were a part of, there's some questions about differences among people. So, in the paper that we recently published on the relationship between date labels and anticipated food waste, and people's individual orientation to risk and loss, can you tell us a little bit about what some of the key findings of that paper are? Right. So, the paper is published recently in Applied Economics Perspective Policy. It's one of the official journals of Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA). Norbert is the leading author. So, this paper built on the framework of prospect theory and is based on the data from a series of experiments we conducted in Alabama and also the state of New York. We find that consumers do adjust their anticipated food waste by date labels and by how much they tolerate risk and losses. In the experiment, we particularly measured their tolerance to risk and losses. We found that the 'Use By' date labels tend to lead to more anticipated food waste than 'Best Buy'. Maybe this echo what Roni has said. So, people may tend to link 'Use By' with quality and food safety. We also found that the consumers with low tolerance to losses and are associated with higher anticipated foot waste regardless of date labels and the products. So, we can see a heterogeneity of the responses of different consumers to date labels and food items based on their tolerance to losses and risks. Thank you for that. And I think this is a really important aspect of looking at this set of studies because we see that people are different. They respond differently. And they have different ideas about how they handle losses. This idea that it can be worse to lose a hundred dollars versus to gain a hundred dollars. Or the way we understand how we'll negatively respond versus how positively we respond. Using this economic framework of prospect theory, something that is drawn from actually the psychology literature to better understand how people react to food labels while shopping. What are some key features of this approach to explaining people's behaviors and why do you think it's a good choice? Why do you think it's important to do this? One of the key features of prospect theory is it divides the possible outcomes of a risky event into two domains. One is a gain domain and one is a loss domain. So, in terms of the food consumption, probably the most likely status quo is do not eat the food items. So, the gain domain might be gaining nutrition from the food item. The loss domain might be the loss of health if the food item is bad. So, I think this framework fits particularly well to describe the consumer's trade off in their mind when they face a food item with a date label that is maybe one day or two days past the expiration date. So, one possibility is you consume this food. If it is good, you get nutrition and if it is bad, you potentially get lost health or lose one day of work or so on. So, I think this model can capture the trade off or the decision-making procedure in a consumer's mind pretty well. And experiments data support the theoretical prediction that loss aversion may affect people's food waste decisions. Thank you for that. And I think what's one of the sort of take home messages that I've learned out of this process is this heterogeneity, the fact that people are different and may respond differently to these date labels, really does put the onus upon policymakers to think critically what date labels, if we were to use them, or if we think they have an effect, which are the right ones. And so I actually want to open up the question to all of you. In your view, what next steps make sense for date labels to help address the food waste challenges that we see in this country? Let's start with you, Brian. Ooh, yeah. So, to me a compelling issue that needs to be addressed is how do we get 'Use By' to really translate to be people to be about safety? Is it a different color? I know we don't want to mess with the phrases, but do we just call this safety date and put it in red or put a clown by it if that scares you. Something along those lines to make that stand out. And then on the relevance side, I think it might be out of policy, but perhaps, industry collaboration to really push printed dates to the end of that quality horizon. So that everybody has confidence that they're not going to get undercut by somebody else having an earlier date printed for cereals or for canned goods or something like that. To have a kind of a truce among commercial interests to say, okay, typically canned beans, has this type of 180 days or 360 days. Let's push it to the end of that acceptable horizon so that we don't have unwarranted waste happening as often. Those are two ideas that I've kind of chewed on a lot and think could be positive steps forward. But I'm fascinated to hear what others think. Thank you, Brian and I really don't like the idea of putting clowns anywhere near this. I want to go to you, Roni. All right, well first, I'll a thousand percent echo everything that Brian just said. And I'll note also in terms of the 'Use By' date, the label that was most commonly associated with food safety was 'Expires On' by consumers. But that isn't part of what has been under [policy] discussion. But anyway, in addition to echoing that, I'll just say we do need a standardized policy and it has to be accompanied by a well-designed education campaign. And this policy change, it's just a no-brainer. It's not controversial. It's fairly minimal cost. And given the high food prices and the struggles that consumers are having right now, they need every tool that they can to save money and food, and this is one of them. Great. Thank you, Roni. I'll give the last word to you, Ruiqing. Yeah. I will echo what Brian and Roni said. So, a well-designed policy and public education campaign. Particularly for the education campaign. I think regardless of if there is a policy change or not, I think it is time to do a public education campaign. Norbert, we have done the research on food waste for almost nine years, right? So, I learned a little bit about the date label's meaning. But still, I cannot change my wife's opinion. When she sees sell by yesterday for the milk, she would suggest we throw it away. But I said this is not for us, this is for sellers. But she wouldn't believe so because I cannot persuade her. But maybe an education campaign from more authoritative institutional federal government can change people's mind as a researcher or like even husband cannot change. Roni - And can I just add to that, just please. I think that the economics and psychology expertise that all of you have can really contribute to that. Because I think that's a really important point that you're making. And it's not just factual, it's emotional too. And so how do we, you know, get in there and change what people do beyond their knowledge? Bios Roni Neff is a Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Environmental Health & Engineering and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, an academic center focused on food systems and public health. Her research focuses on wasted food through the lens of equity and public health. She is a co-Director of the RECIPES national food waste research network, and she recently served on the National Academies of Science and Medicine consensus panel on consumer food waste. Brian Roe is the Van Buren Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at Ohio State University. Roe has worked broadly in the areas of agricultural and environmental economics focusing on issues including agricultural marketing, information policy, behavioral economics and product quality. He was recently named as a fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and has previously served as an editor for the Association's flagship journal, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. He currently leads the Ohio State Food Waste Collaborative, a collection of researchers, practitioners, and students working together to promote the reduction and redirection of food waste as an integral part of a healthy and sustainable food system, and co-leads the RECIPES Network, a National Science Foundation Sustainable Regional System's Research Network focused on increasing food system sustainability, resilience and equity by addressing the issue of food waste.  In addition to research on food waste, his other recent research includes a USDA funded project focused on local foods and school lunch programs and participation in an NSF-funded multidisciplinary team seeking to understand human-ecosystem feedbacks in the Western Lake Erie basin, including understanding how farms and agribusinesses respond to voluntary environmental programs and how Ohio residents respond to different options to manage Lake Erie water quality. Ruiqing Miao is an agricultural economist at Auburn University. Miao is interested in sustainability, innovation, and decision-making. His research focuses on the interaction between agricultural production and its environment, aiming to understand and quantify 1) agriculture's impact on land use, water use, water quality, and biodiversity, and 2) how agricultural production is affected by farmers' behaviors, public policies, agricultural innovation, technology adoption, and climate change.

Food is culture, food is life — it's part of who we are and the magic that binds us together. But here's the twist: the way we eat is pushing the climate to the brink, with a third of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from the way we grow, process and waste food. Through TED Talks and conversations with chefs, scientists, activists and more, this film explores a recipe for change — and how shifting to plant-rich diets, embracing innovations like lab-grown meat and reimagining farming's regenerative future can help us feed the world without frying the planet. (Hosted by Manoush Zomorodi and featuring Jonathan Foley, Sam Kass, Pinky Cole, Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Dana Gunders, Uma Valeti, Hiroki Koga, Helianti Hilman, Peter Dawe, June Jo Lee, Gonzalo Muñoz, Agnes Kalibata, Marcelo Mena, Andy Jarvis and Anthony Myint) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Food is culture, food is life — it's part of who we are and the magic that binds us together. But here's the twist: the way we eat is pushing the climate to the brink, with a third of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from the way we grow, process and waste food. Through TED Talks and conversations with chefs, scientists, activists and more, this film explores a recipe for change — and how shifting to plant-rich diets, embracing innovations like lab-grown meat and reimagining farming's regenerative future can help us feed the world without frying the planet. (Hosted by Manoush Zomorodi and featuring Jonathan Foley, Sam Kass, Pinky Cole, Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Dana Gunders, Uma Valeti, Hiroki Koga, Helianti Hilman, Jonathan Foley, Peter Dawe, June Jo Lee, Gonzalo Muñoz, Agnes Kalibata, Marcelo Mena, Andy Jarvis and Anthony Myint)

Food is culture, food is life — it's part of who we are and the magic that binds us together. But here's the twist: the way we eat is pushing the climate to the brink, with a third of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from the way we grow, process and waste food. Through TED Talks and conversations with chefs, scientists, activists and more, this film explores a recipe for change — and how shifting to plant-rich diets, embracing innovations like lab-grown meat and reimagining farming's regenerative future can help us feed the world without frying the planet. (Hosted by Manoush Zomorodi and featuring Jonathan Foley, Sam Kass, Pinky Cole, Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Dana Gunders, Uma Valeti, Hiroki Koga, Helianti Hilman, Jonathan Foley, Peter Dawe, June Jo Lee, Gonzalo Muñoz, Agnes Kalibata, Marcelo Mena, Andy Jarvis and Anthony Myint)

The average American throws away $200 of food each month. How can we get more food onto plates and less into landfills? This hour, changing the food system, from the farm to your kitchen. Guests include food waste expert Dana Gunders, social entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe-Houston, chef and sustainability activist Anthony Myint and behavioral scientist Jiaying Zhao. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/tedLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We waste a staggering one trillion dollars worth of food each year, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate crisis. Food waste expert Dana Gunders shares innovative solutions to reduce waste — from solar-powered cold rooms to apps that sell discounted restaurant leftovers — and shares tips on how you can keep good food from going to the trash."

In this episode, we sit down with Dana Gunders, President of ReFED and a renowned expert in food sustainability. Dana shares her path into the food waste sector, emphasizing the critical environmental and economic impacts of food waste. Under her leadership, ReFED has achieved remarkable milestones, such as a 25% reduction in surplus food among West Coast grocers, and has spearheaded innovative strategies. These include AI-enhanced demand planning, advanced markdown apps, and dynamic employee-driven initiatives. We explore how these efforts intersect with broader climate change policies and discuss both the potential economic benefits and the challenges ahead. Dana emphasizes the vital roles of public awareness and private sector engagement in reaching the ambitious goal of cutting food waste by 50% by 2030. Join us for a compelling conversation about transforming food waste challenges into opportunities for greater sustainability. About Dana Gunders Deemed "the woman who helped start the waste-free movement" by Consumer Reports, Dana Gunders is a national expert who has dedicated her career to helping industry, policymakers, and consumers activate solutions to reduce food waste. Her landmark 2012 report "Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill" sparked a national dialogue about the consequences of food waste, and since then, she has continued to bring the issue to a wider audience through testimony before Congress, her Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook, and appearances in media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Times Magazine, Fox News, Teen Vogue, PBS Newshour, and hundreds of other outlets. Before joining ReFED in 2019, she served as a founding Board member for the organization. When not worrying about it professionally, Dana spends far too much time convincing her two young kids to eat broccoli stalks and reinventing their uneaten lunches as family dinner. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast 00:25 Meet Dana Gunders: Food Sustainability Expert 01:36 Dana's Journey into Food Waste Management 03:34 The Birth of ReFed 05:02 ReFed's Mission and Achievements 10:49 Innovations in Food Waste Reduction 14:45 Consumer Awareness and Behavioral Change 18:40 Food Waste and Climate Change 23:01 Economic Implications of Food Waste 26:21 Food Security and Food Waste 27:57 The U.S. Food Waste Pact 33:19 Challenges and Solutions in Reducing Food Waste 38:13 Personal and Professional Insights on Food Waste 43:47 Innovations and Future Directions 46:05 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

We waste a staggering one trillion dollars worth of food each year, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate crisis. Food waste expert Dana Gunders shares innovative solutions to reduce waste — from solar-powered cold rooms to apps that sell discounted restaurant leftovers — and shares tips on how you can keep good food from going to the trash.

We waste a staggering one trillion dollars worth of food each year, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate crisis. Food waste expert Dana Gunders shares innovative solutions to reduce waste — from solar-powered cold rooms to apps that sell discounted restaurant leftovers — and shares tips on how you can keep good food from going to the trash.

We waste a staggering one trillion dollars worth of food each year, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate crisis. Food waste expert Dana Gunders shares innovative solutions to reduce waste — from solar-powered cold rooms to apps that sell discounted restaurant leftovers — and shares tips on how you can keep good food from going to the trash.

More than 2 billion people, about a third of the world's population, face food insecurity. At the same time, a recent UN report estimated that more than 1 billion metric tons of food went to waste in 2022, enough to give each person facing hunger around the world more than one meal a day. Ali Rogin speaks with Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, to learn more. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

More than 2 billion people, about a third of the world's population, face food insecurity. At the same time, a recent UN report estimated that more than 1 billion metric tons of food went to waste in 2022, enough to give each person facing hunger around the world more than one meal a day. Ali Rogin speaks with Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, to learn more. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

More than 2 billion people, about a third of the world's population, face food insecurity. At the same time, a recent UN report estimated that more than 1 billion metric tons of food went to waste in 2022, enough to give each person facing hunger around the world more than one meal a day. Ali Rogin speaks with Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, to learn more. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

What can any one person do to fight climate change? Paul Greenberg, author of The Climate Diet: 50 Simple Ways To Trim Your Carbon Footprint, joins Liz and Jane to home in on achievable ways that you can make a difference in your kitchen.   Further Reading: Rowan Jacobsen's great piece on the fantasy of plastic recycling Liz's Wall Street Journal GREAT piece on reducing food waste  Jane's Washington Post interview with Dana Gunders, author of the Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook Bill McKibben: The UN Announces its Hottest Year: The Climate Heated Up But Clean Energy Did Too See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month, USAID is hosting a Food Loss and Waste Theme Month on Agrilinks to recognize the fourth International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (FLW) and elevate the global conversation on FLW. To celebrate FLW Month, the USAID Kitchen Sink Podcast is publishing two special episodes in September. Our first episode is with Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED, a unique organization with a large network collaborating across the food system to reduce FLW. Dana provides a “pulse check” on what is happening in the domestic FLW space and the role that ReFED plays. Together, we discuss what makes ReFED unique and how this model could be replicated in the countries in which USAID works. We conclude our conversation by discussing the importance of private sector investment in FLW reduction.You can subscribe to receive the latest episodes of USAID's Kitchen Sink and listen to our episodes on the platform of your choice: Apple, Spotify, and more! Video recordings of the episodes are available on YouTube. Check in every month for new episodes as global experts discuss a range of issues about FLW and methane emissions - from the critical role of youth to the staggering economic costs - and learn about specific ways that USAID is tackling FLW around the world. If you have an idea for an episode topic you'd like to see featured or if you would like to participate in an episode of USAID's Kitchen Sink, please reach out to Nika Larian (nlarian@usaid.gov).There's no time to waste!

Dana Gunders is the Executive Director of ReFED, a national nonprofit that advances data-driven solutions to help train, inspire, and strategize around food waste reduction. By taking a holistic view of the food system, and focused, purposeful action, ReFED is working to achieve a 50% food waste reduction in accordance with the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with Dana about why tackling food waste requires a full-supply-chain view, what Dana views as the biggest barriers and opportunities, and how solving for waste will impact our global food system.  Dana Gunders: “It is just the dumbest problem out there and one that is so solvable. I think we look at climate change and it feels so big and daunting, but wasting food is not. Wasting less food is not rocket science, right? It's something we all can do, we have control over and it feels very much within our reach and I think that helps keep me motivated.”  01:01 Intro on Dana and the food waste problem 03:34 Background on ReFED 07:55 Long-term progress on food waste reduction 09:32 How to stay motivated to fight food waste 12:08 Tools and potential solutions to stop food waste 15:55 Barriers to scaling progress 17:51 Opportunities for reducing waste across different food groups 00:21 Tracking, measurement and metrics 23:42 Motivating individuals and organizations to act 26:41 Addressing skeptics by sharing individual impact 28:14 What's on the horizon?  Links Learn more about ReFED The ReFED Catalytic Grant Fund ReFED Insights Engine Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money by Wasting Less Food ReFED Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent North American Leaders Make Historic Commitment to Food Waste Reduction  Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com  *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host's views, nor those of his employer.  

Reducing your food waste can help you eat healthier, save money, and support the Earth. Listen in as national food waste expert Dana Gunders and host Mary Purdy, MS, RDN discuss mindset shifts and share actionable strategies to help you reduce how much food you throw away. In this episode we'll cover: (5:09) Why we should be concerned about food waste (8:20) Root causes of food waste (12:14) Mindset shifts & strategies to help you reduce your food waste (24:49) Thoughts on convenience foods & meal delivery kits (31:09) How larger institutions can reduce their food waste Dana Gunders is a national expert on food systems and is the Executive Director of ReFED, a nonprofit working to reduce food loss and waste. She received her bachelor's degree in earth systems and master's in sustainable business practices from Stanford University. Named “the woman who helped start the waste-free movement” by Consumer Reports, Gunders is the author of the landmark report “Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill.” She is also the author of the Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook. For show notes, transcripts, and to learn more about host Mary Purdy, MS, RDN, visit http://healthcare.orgain.com/podcast/episodes/listen/season/3/episode/24. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss a new episode! Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice. The material discussed on this podcast, and displayed on the associated webpage, is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health regimen.

#298: Almost one-third of all food purchases in the United States go to waste. I know you are spending precious time and money prepping all these BLW foods for your baby and our guest Dana Gunders is intent on making sure you don't waste food. Dana is a mom of 2 BLW grads, the Executive Director of ReFed and author of the Waste Free Kitchen Handbook. In this interview she's sharing real actions you can take right now to lower waste in your kitchen. From how to freeze foods for your baby to the right way to store herbs and how to know which expired food is safe to eat, Dana is on a mission to help us lower waste in our home kitchens.

#298: Almost one-third of all food purchases in the United States go to waste. I know you are spending precious time and money prepping all these BLW foods for your baby and our guest Dana Gunders is intent on making sure you don't waste food. Dana is a mom of 2 BLW grads, the Executive Director of ReFed and author of the Waste Free Kitchen Handbook. In this interview she's sharing real actions you can take right now to lower waste in your kitchen. From how to freeze foods for your baby to the right way to store herbs and how to know which expired food is safe to eat, Dana is on a mission to help us lower waste in our home kitchens.

Today's episode focused on food waste, a topic that I love talking about as it's one of the most accessible ways for pretty much anyone to make a difference on climate change.  Wasting food is a huge problem. Roughly 40% of the world's food is wasted each year, while almost a billion people are undernourished. Further, wasted food adds up to 8-10% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Like many people working on this issue, my understanding of the food waste opportunity was shaped by an organization called ReFED. They launched in 2015 and have been one of the best examples of an effort to accelerate investment and entrepreneurship through data, storytelling and partnerships.  We're fortunate to be joined by Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED. Prior to joining ReFED, Dana wrote the book, The Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money By Wasting Less Food. We were also joined by Gaeleen Quin, Head of Impact for the fast growing food waste startup Too Good to Go, which enables retailers to offer soon to be wasted food to consumers at a discount.  We discuss a wide range of opportunities for eliminating food waste, and tap into Gaeleen and Dana's insights to growing this emerging innovation space. No matter who you are, if you buy and eat food, I'm sure you'll find something immediately useful in this episode. In today's episode, we cover:[4:44] Why does food waste matter & why it matters to climate change [8:18] What is ReFED & what is their role [9:51] Food waste categories & which ones offer the most leverage  [11:55] Where we need to focus most & where there's most opportunity for impact [13:44] The problem that Too Good to Go aiming to solve [16:22] The hardest part of gaining market adoption [19:47] What can retailers do about food waste [21:43] The importance of Gaeleen's role as Head of Impact [23:27] Examples of partnerships with schools and community organizations [25:21] The most effective way for us to reduce or eliminate food waste [31:30] The status on ReFED's goal to cut food waste in half by 2030 [37:10] Making immense amounts of data inspiring & actionable [43:19] The most exciting things that Gaeleen & Dana are working on right now Resources Mentionedhttps://refed.org/ (ReFED) https://toogoodtogo.com/ (Too Good to Go) Connect with Dana Gunders and Gaeleen QuinnConnect with Dana on https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-gunders/ (LinkedIn) Connect with Gaeleen on https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaeleen-quinn-126b5110/ (LinkedIn) Connect With Jason Rissmanhttps://investedinclimate.com (https://InvestedInClimate.com)  On https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrissman/ (LinkedIn) On https://twitter.com/jasonrissman (Twitter) Subscribe to https://pod.link/1620915138 (Invested In Climate)

“Nobody wakes up wanting to waste food, it's just a matter of having the right information at the right time.”   Dana Gunders (19:34-19:41)   When it comes to food waste around the world, the statistics are staggering. We all know it's a problem and almost every country is fighting it. What can we do to effectively decrease our food waste (and the carbon emissions that come with it), decrease food insecurity, and create the food system we desire? ReFED is the leader in data-driven solutions to fight food waste, working across the food system to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030.   Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED says they can only accomplish this with massive participation. It's estimated that over 400 billion dollars worth of food (about 2% of the GDP) is wasted, and if the food waste in America was eradicated alone, it would feed our country's food insecure population three times over! That's why ReFED is working in multiple ways to educate and inform, and assist the individuals and companies who want to put their dollars towards efforts that are going to implement the most change in the quickest manner.   “When folks allocative financial resources for a macro issue like food waste, they need the guidance of an institution like ReFED to make sure that investment is going towards a noble cause.” Lori Taylor (10:16-10:30)    The first pillar of work ReFED is focused on is collecting accurate data. No one's collecting data when they're throwing the garbage out, so a lot of estimating is still required. ReFED wants to paint an accurate picture of what's going on so people know where to focus their efforts. One way they do this is through a data platform on their website that's analyzed 42 solutions and their efficiency rate. Their second pillar of work is in the investment space, where they also have a capital tracker that monitors investment on their website. There's been quite a recent explosion of innovative startups and investment directed towards food waste and ReFED wants to catalyze investment through public, philanthropic, and private dollars.   Did you know about 35% of food grown in the United States ends up in the trash? 37% of that food waste is created at the household level, with the number one product of that waste being produce, and the number two being leftovers.   Even though ReFED doesn't work to reach consumers directly, their role in connecting companies, small businesses, stakeholders, researchers, and local governments with one another has a greater impact. For example, there's over 200 companies globally who have made some sort of commitment to helping eradicate food waste, but they need ReFED's help in understanding how to reach that goal. They're also working to encourage federal agencies to create a consumer awareness campaign to spread this information further. Grocery retailers, like Kroger and their Zero Hunger Zero Waste commitment (which has already seen a 19 reduction in waste), have been doing a great job at driving forward sustainability initiatives, like educating consumers on how to use produce once it's wilted or bruised.   “There's a great opportunity to help people use their products better and that helps them use their food budget better.” Dana Gunders (16:25-16:37)   Considering the average family of four is spending $2,000 on food they aren't actually eating, implementing changes that help reduce waste should be high on everyone's list! Outside of ReFED, Dana has written her own book called The Waste Free Kitchen Handbook, which you can learn more about on Episode 79, that offers strategies, references, recipes and a directory of produce which shows you how to use food items up in a clever way when you might've just thrown them out. For example, Dana's book has a delicious berry avocado chocolate mousse recipe that uses overripe berries and avocados that are brown!    There's plenty of action for us to take across the entire food supply chain, and starting with Dana's book or learning more on ReFED's website is how you can make a major difference in your kitchen at home. Visit ReFED's website at www.refed.org and listen to Episode 79 to learn more about the actionable strategies you can start implementing today with Dana's book.%   How to get involved Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!  Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.    If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

Companies are fighting to end food waste in more ways than one, from packaging technology to supply chain innovations.  In this episode, I'm joined by Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED, who discusses the scope of the food waste problem and effective solutions, and Aidan Mouat, CEO and C o-Founder of Hazel Technologies, Inc., who talks about the role of innovation and new technologies in reducing food waste throughout the supply chain.  Join us as we discuss: New and emerging technology in the war against food waste How to effectively implement supply chain and infrastructure innovations 3 ways the produce industry could reduce food loss  More information about guests Dana Gunders and Aidan Mouat: Dana Gunders' LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-gunders/  ReFED Company Website: https://refed.org/  Aidan Mouat's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-mouat-53ba661a/  Hazel Technologies, Inc. Company Website: https://www.hazeltechnologies.com/ 

Companies are fighting to end food waste in more ways than one, from packaging technology to supply chain innovations.  In this episode, I'm joined by Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED, who discusses the scope of the food waste problem and effective solutions, and Aidan Mouat, CEO and C o-Founder of Hazel Technologies, Inc., who talks about the role of innovation and new technologies in reducing food waste throughout the supply chain.  Join us as we discuss: New and emerging technology in the war against food waste How to effectively implement supply chain and infrastructure innovations 3 ways the produce industry could reduce food loss   More information about guests Dana Gunders and Aidan Mouat: Dana Gunders' LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-gunders/  ReFED Company Website: https://refed.org/  Aidan Mouat's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-mouat-53ba661a/  Hazel Technologies, Inc. Company Website: https://www.hazeltechnologies.com/ 

Dana Gunders, national expert and strategic advisor for food waste reduction, joins us to look at the state of food waste in the home. We discuss major causes and practical solutions for food waste at the consumer level, and how to reduce waste around the holidays, including Thanksgiving.

Dana Gunders is my guest on Episode 96 of Inside Ideas with Marc Buckley. Dana is a national expert on food systems and was one of the first people to raise the alarm about how much food is wasted across the country and the subsequent impacts on the environment, food security, and the economy. Dana has served as ReFED's Executive Director since March 2020, and she has a long history with the organization having served as a founding board member when ReFED was established in 2016. For almost a decade prior to her work with ReFED, Dana was a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), where she authored the landmark Wasted report about food waste and testified before Congress. While at NRDC, Dana launched the "Save The Food" campaign with the Ad Council to provide consumers with easy-to-use strategies to reduce food waste in their own kitchens. She then started Next Course LLC to strategically advise organizations, including Google, and authored the popular Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook. Dana has made a number of appearances in the media, including "PBS NewsHour," "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver, and FOX Business, and she was called “the woman who helped start the waste-free movement” by Consumer Reports. https://refed.com/

On this special Earth Day episode, we welcome guest host Turner Wyatt, CEO of the Upcycled Food Association. Turner and I have a fun and enlightening conversation with Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED and author of the Waste Free Kitchen Handbook. We reflect on what Earth Day means to each of us and how we all can have an impact in the goal of reducing food waste and protecting Mother Earth every day through the choices we make. On this episode we also celebrate a big announcement from UFA and learn about the exciting and engaging interactive tool from ReFED called the Insights Engine. Upcycled Food Association Unveils Upcycled Certified Mark World's first mark certifying upcycled food in products gives consumers crucial tool to address urgent climate and environmental crises through purchasing power. Check out the new Upcycled Certified Mark and learn more about what it means and where you will be able to find it soon! ReFED is a national nonprofit dedicated to ending food loss and waste across the U.S. food system by advancing data-driven solutions. Insights Engine: Developed by ReFED the Insights Engine is a data and solutions hub for food loss and waste, designed to provide anyone interested in food waste reduction with the information and insights they need to take meaningful action to address the problem. Visit www.toogoodtowastepodcast.com for all episodes and to learn more about the Too good To waste podcast series. Follow us on Instagram @toogoodtowaste_podcast Thanks to our sponsors: NETZRO, SBC - www.netzro.us Upcycled Food Association - www.upcycledfood.org Produced by Hi-Fly'n Productions www.hiflyn.com Producer | Host: Kevin May Associate Producer | Amy Gilbert Creative Development | Sue Marshall What's UP Co-Host | Rochelle Still --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/toogoodtowaste/message

For the rest of this week Food Tank alongside the ReFresh working group will be airing daily podcasts with panelists discussing “The Intersection of Food + Tech.” Over the next five days we are featuring 20 speakers co-hosted by Danielle Nierenberg and Forbes Magazine’s Chloe Sorvino. You can also watch these conversations live at 2PM all week. Additionally, Food Tank and ReFresh just released a new policy platform on the intersection of food and technology. Please visit FoodTank.com to download your free copy.   Today’s theme is Empowering Consumers Through Transparency. We are so excited to have these amazing panelists: Mark Kaplan of (en)visible; Matt Wadiak of Cooks Venture; Rick Whitted of Feeding Children Everywhere, and Dana Gunders of ReFed.

Today on Point 01, Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED, joins Aaron to discuss the complexity of food waste. Dana published the revolutionary report “Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill” and from there began her journey as the "the woman who helped start the waste-free movement." Dana founded and led the NRDC’s work on food waste, authored Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook, and testified in Congress just to name a few projects. Her work on food waste has been featured on John Oliver, CNN, NPR, NBC, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and hundreds of other news outlets. Dana is THE expert on food waste and we are thrilled to talk with her about this multi-faceted problem with no one-size-fits-all solution. If you want to stay up-to-date with Dana and her work, please follow her on Twitter @dgunders. The Point 01 podcast is produced by Therma, a smart refrigeration monitoring company. To follow along with Therma’s clean cooling initiatives and Point 01 content, find us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook @Point01Podcast.

In 2019 the United Nations General Assembly designated September 29 as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. On "Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg," Dani discusses the challenges to reducing food waste and the organizations that are working to redirect food from landfills to people in need. Hear from Regina Anderson of the Food Recovery Network, Alex Coari and Dana Gunders of ReFED, and Doug O'Brien of the Global FoodBanking Network.  While you’re listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” wherever you consume your podcasts.

Food is the #1 product going to landfill in the US. It is simple to sell people on the problem, but what to do about this complex problem stymies action. Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFed, has been focused on this issue for a decade and sheds light on the many ways to take on the challenge. Dana is issuing a call to action, and each one of us is a part of the solution.Dana weaves together the seed of her personal passion for food waste, ReFed’s cutting edge economic analysis of solutions, and parallels between energy efficiency and food waste. Expect a dialogue on data, motivating capital, public policy, and consumer- behavior. And learn about food waste pre-Covid, and how the pandemic has accelerated food recovery trends and online marketplaces.Join us to learn which parts of the food waste problem are ripe for innovation, and how food waste management is a key sign of a well-run business. Dana is helping us take the critical issue of food waste and break it down into specific solutions. Whether you are an entrepreneur, policy maker, investor, corporate executive -- there is an opportunity here for you. And for all of us as eaters, we’re on the hook too.

Hear from Dana Gunders, Executive Director at ReFED, Emily Broad Lieb, Clinical Professor of Law, Director, Food Law and Policy Clinic and Deputy Director at Harvard Law School, and Justin Block, Managing Director for Feeding America, discuss the short-term and potential long-term impacts that the food supply will have during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dana Gunders serves as ReFED’s Executive Director. Dana is a national expert and one of the first to bring to light just how much food is wasted across the country. For almost a decade, she was a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). She then launched Next Course, LLC to strategically advise on the topic. Some of her career highlights include authoring the landmark Wasted report and Waste Free Kitchen Handbook, launching the Save the Food campaign, testifying in Congress, consulting to Google, appearing on John Oliver, and perhaps most importantly, being a founding Board Member of ReFED. https://www.refed.com/?sort=economic-value-per-ton https://savethefood.com/ Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money By Wasting Less Food (Zero Waste Home, Zero Waste Book, Sustainable Living Book) https://nexuspmg.com/

Meet Amanda Nguyen, the owner and baker behind Butter&, the San Francisco bakery that’s become famous for its Quarantine Cakes. Amanda came up with the idea for these mini cakes decorated with a PSA out of necessity. Her custom cake business relied on weddings, birthdays, and other celebrations, and all of her orders were canceled almost overnight due to the COVID-19 crisis. Tune in to hear how Amanda went from Facebook data analyst to bakery owner and why ethical employment has been such a big issue for her, even pre-coronavirus.Thank you to the Wines of Rioja for supporting Radio Cherry Bombe.And listen to the end to discover why Emily Carter of Imperfect Foods in San Francisco thinks Dana Gunders of ReFED is the Bombe. Photo by Andriya Rances

“It takes so many resources to grow, transport, store, cook, and get food to our plates. When we throw food out, we throw those resources out with it.”Dana Gunders (8:10-8:28) The average American throws away around $30 worth of uneaten food every month. When you factor in the food being wasted by restaurants, grocery stores, and other points along the supply chain, it's easy to see how big of a problem this is becoming. Dana Gunders is the author of Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money By Wasting Less Food. Her work has been featured on media outlets that include NBC, NPR, CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Known as the “food waste warrior”, Dana began exploring the issue of food waste while working in the fruit and vegetable industry. Dana was taking part in finding ways to make agriculture more sustainable by reducing the use of water, fertilizer, and energy on farms. She started looking into the waste component and stumbled upon some surprising numbers.  40% of food in this country goes to waste. 25% of its water is used to grow food that's never eaten.  Dana's report titled Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill looks at how food is treated throughout the supply chain. The report played a huge role in bringing the issue of food waste to the public's attention. Dana is the new interim Executive Director Speaker for ReFED, an organization dedicated to addressing the food waste problem in the U.S. Their efforts are geared toward providing data, money, and other resources to enable others to take action on this important issue.  “When you look at all the food that's wasted, households produce most of it. We waste more food than supermarkets, restaurants, farms or anywhere else in the supply chain.” - Dana Gunders (7:10-7:30) Households produce most of this country's food waste, and households with kids tend to have even more food waste. Fruits and vegetables are the number one food product wasted in today's homes. It takes a lot of resources to grow, transport, store, and prepare food. It involves labor and other natural resources. When we throw food out, we throw all of those resources out along with it. Wasted food is equivalent to about 37 million cars worth of greenhouse gases.  If food waste were a country, it would rank number three in terms of its carbon footprint, second to the U.S. and China. In fact, food is actually the number one product entering landfills today, One of the best ways to combat food waste at home is to make smaller shopping trips. There are plenty of options to help you do this. Whether it's curbside pickup, grocery delivery, or the technologies grocers are using to help consumers shop more efficiently.  “When I did bigger shopping trips, it would be the demise of a large portion of my food. My berries and lettuce would freeze because my fridge was stuffed full.” - Janelle Lara (14:31-14:40)Turn a weekly trip to the grocery store into multiple smaller trips. You waste less food at home while saving money by not throwing any food out.  People care about this issue and nobody wants to waste food. But they don't necessarily know what to change in their lives to stop doing it.  The important thing is to start somewhere. Even doing a little bit makes a big difference. Taking the right steps to reduce waste can help you do your part in helping solve this problem. Buying (and eating) fresh fruits and vegetables contributes to your family's health while helping to save our valuable and limited resources.  How to get involved Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!  Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.  If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word! Transcription:  Tpm79tpm79

Dana Gunders is quite literally "the woman who helped start the zero-waste movement," according to Consumer Reports. In this fact-filled conversation, learn how what started out as a report on plastics in farming led her to learn that 40% of our food supply was going to waste. Dana is a true expert on food waste who knows the data like the back of her hand. In this candid chat she shares the honest and sometimes shocking truth behind why 75% of Americans believe they waste less food than the average American, why restaurant portion sizes are such a problem, and how on earth farms end up wasting food when their livelihood depends on selling as much of what they grow as they can. She also shares some insight on why expiration dates are so misunderstood and why old food isn't actually what ends up makes us sick. Our chat with Dana is also packed with practical waste-fighting tips like how the surprising benefits of a meal plan that includes a few lazy nights, the waste-fighting benefit of "stir-Fridays," and how your freezer is the magic pause button for perishable food. If you're looking for an episode that will leave you feeling informed and inspired to take action, this is it! Show Notes:Dana's website Dana's InstagramDana's groundbreaking report on food waste in America 75% of Americans believe that they waste less food than the average AmericanThe UN study that found that 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste, or the equivalent of 37 million carsThe Santa Clara study on farm-level food waste that Dana mentioned Dana's waste-free kitchen handbookImperfect's use spinach first post Dana's go-to karaoke song is "I like to move it" Dana's feeling inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg lately. If you haven't seen Greta's speech about climate change to the United Nations, it's a must-watch!

In this episode, we explore the topic of Food Waste and Food Rescue. We interview April Rog, Director of Food Rescue at Second Harvest, and Nathan Hesse, Food Rescue Programs Manager at Second Harvest. We also sit down with Dana Gunders, author of NRDC "Wasted" Report.

Cynthia Hooper of College of the Holy Cross asserts Putin is beating Trump at PR. Simon Gottschalk of Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas on the acceleration of modern life. Dana Gunders, author of "Waste Free Kitchen Handbook," discusses how to cut back waste. Angie Holan of PolitiFact describes the process of fact-checking. Rod Gustafson of Parent Previews reviews Skyscraper and Hotel Transylvania 3. Laura Bridgewater and Mike Alder of Brigham Young Univ. explain the role of gut bacteria.

Former NRDC scientist and leading food waste expert Dana Gunders on the root causes of food waste, the truth about expiration dates, and  her top strategies to help you build a waste-free home kitchen. SHOWNOTES: atthetablepodcast.com/17

When you and I make choices about the food we eat, it is easy to look at all the options and choose what is going to be healthy and beneficial for our bodies. But when was the last time you made a food choice based on what was healthy and beneficial to the environment? Sustainable eating is more than picking up local produce or reducing the amounts of harmful chemicals we use on our crops. Did you know what 40% of the food produced in the U.S. is wasted? When I found out, I was floored! What can we do as consumers to fill our bodies with healthy and delicious food, while also taking care of the environment.    This week, I sit down with Chris Vogliano, a Registered Dietitian, and Ethical Food Warrior. He shared with me how we have the ability to reduce the amount of food we waste, choose foods with low carbon and water footprints, and still maintain a healthy lifestyle! Chris has an easy way to repurpose your leftovers and stop wasting food using the crockpot. I’ll also show you how to use up beautiful cherry tomatoes before they go bad with my delicious Roasted Tomato and Cheese Omelet. Sustainable eating seems like a daunting task, but believe me—it’s much easier than you think!   Also in this episode:   3 things we can do today to eat more sustainably.  What does it mean to have a farm to fork mindset?  Chris’s definition of eating sustainably.  Eat more plant proteins! Hear a few tips and tricks for eating more plants and less meat.  What’s the beef with beef? Can a blended burger be the solution? Chris and I share our go-to recipes with lentils and beans. Utilize your freezer for eliminating fruit food waste.  Tips for shopping your refrigerator, including your boring leftovers! Taking stock of what you throw away.  Sell by dates show quality, not safety!  My tips for using up that pint of cherry tomatoes with my slow-roasted tomato omelets.  Choosing bio-diverse foods can promote bio-diverse agriculture.  1 big thing you can do today to become a sustainable food warrior.  Check out The Waste Free Kitchen Handbook by Dana Gunders.  Links 8 Ways to reduce your Food Waste Food Print  https://chrisvogliano.com/new-blog/weighing-in-on-wasted-food   Demystify the Sell-by dates here! http://www.stilltasty.com/   To join the Podcast Posse and follow me on Social Media!  https://www.lizshealthytable.com/ My friends at Super Healthy Kids  http://www.superhealthykids.com/  

When you and I make choices about the food we eat, it is easy to look at all the options and choose what is going to be healthy and beneficial for our bodies. But when was the last time you made a food choice based on what was healthy and beneficial to the environment? Sustainable eating is more than picking up local produce or reducing the amounts of harmful chemicals we use on our crops. Did you know what 40% of the food produced in the U.S. is wasted? When I found out, I was floored! What can we do as consumers to fill our bodies with healthy and delicious food, while also taking care of the environment.    This week, I sit down with Chris Vogliano, a Registered Dietitian, and Ethical Food Warrior. He shared with me how we have the ability to reduce the amount of food we waste, choose foods with low carbon and water footprints, and still maintain a healthy lifestyle! Chris has an easy way to repurpose your leftovers and stop wasting food using the crockpot. I’ll also show you how to use up beautiful cherry tomatoes before they go bad with my delicious Roasted Tomato and Cheese Omelet. Sustainable eating seems like a daunting task, but believe me—it’s much easier than you think!   Also in this episode:   3 things we can do today to eat more sustainably.  What does it mean to have a farm to fork mindset?  Chris’s definition of eating sustainably.  Eat more plant proteins! Hear a few tips and tricks for eating more plants and less meat.  What’s the beef with beef? Can a blended burger be the solution? Chris and I share our go-to recipes with lentils and beans. Utilize your freezer for eliminating fruit food waste.  Tips for shopping your refrigerator, including your boring leftovers! Taking stock of what you throw away.  Sell by dates show quality, not safety!  My tips for using up that pint of cherry tomatoes with my slow-roasted tomato omelets.  Choosing bio-diverse foods can promote bio-diverse agriculture.  1 big thing you can do today to become a sustainable food warrior.  Check out The Waste Free Kitchen Handbook by Dana Gunders.  Links 8 Ways to reduce your Food Waste Food Print  https://chrisvogliano.com/new-blog/weighing-in-on-wasted-food   Demystify the Sell-by dates here! http://www.stilltasty.com/   To join the Podcast Posse and follow me on Social Media!  https://www.lizshealthytable.com/ My friends at Super Healthy Kids  http://www.superhealthykids.com/  

As you sit down for giant family meals this holiday season, here's something to keep in mind--every year about 40% of America's food goes uneaten. On the latest DecodeDC podcast, Jimmy chats with Dana Gunders, a leading expert on food waste, about who's to blame (hint: you) and the limits on what the government can and can't do about it.

What’s growing mold in your fridge? It may just hold a key to a sustainable future. Dana Gunders breaks down the messy truth about wasted food--and how we can tackle it in our kitchens and country.

Martha Frankel’s guests this week are Amanda Haas, Dana Gunders, Sarah Marquis and Michelle Gable.

American shoppers are collectively responsible for more wasted food than farmers, grocery stores, or any other part of the food-supply chain. The average family spends a shocking $2,225 every year on food they don’t eat. This problem is so massive that if food waste were a country, it would have the third-largest environmental footprint after the United States and China.  This week on _ Eat Your Words _, host Cathy Erway is on the line with Dana Gunders, NRDC staff scientist and author of the new book “Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook,” seeking to change this quandary. Dana explains that this essential guide—packed with engaging checklists, creative recipes, practical strategies, and educational infographics—offers easy ways to save food and money. And the good news? Cutting food waste doesn’t require significant time and effort. Dana offers genius advice for smarter grocery shopping, ingredient storage, and meal planning. All it takes are a few simple behavior tweaks to take a real bite out of this problem. “One of the big challenges of composting in an apartment is what to do with the compost once you have it!” [27:35] “Plan as best you can, freeze food when you can. Don’t listen to those dates on food, those are just suggestions!” [28:00] –Dana Gunders on Eat Your Words  

Guest Dana Gunders, Staff Scientist, National Resources Defense Council and author of the Waste Free Kitchen Handbook, discusses how to reduce food waste, plus recpe ideas for leftoversWaste Free Kitchen Handbook

This week Eating Matters is talking food waste with Dana Gunders and Emily Broad Leib. Dana Gunders is an NRDC Staff Scientist focused on Food and Agriculture. She works on market and policy oriented initiatives to promote sustainability throughout food systems and supply chains. She leads NRDC’s work on reducing food waste and is the author of a widely distributed report “Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill”. She also recently co-authored a report called The Dating Game, revealing how confusing food dates lead to food waste in America. Emily Broad Leib is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Law, as well as Deputy Director of the Harvard Law School Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation. She co-founded and directs the Center’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, the first law school clinic in the nation devoted to providing legal and policy solutions to nonprofit and government clients in order to address the health, economic, and environmental challenges facing our food system. Broad Leib is recognized as a national leader in Food Law and Policy. Emily’s project, “Reducing Food Waste as a Key to Addressing Climate Change,” was one of seven chosen from around the university to confront the challenge of climate change by leveraging the clinic’s food law and policy expertise to identify systemic solutions that can reduce food waste, which is a major driver of climate change. Tune in for this informative show!

In this episode of the Find Dining Podcast, Erik Wolf, the Founder of the World Food Travel Association, joins us to talk about the upcoming Foodworx Conferencein Portland, Oregon. We discuss  the state of the food tourism industry, the difference between diners and cooks, and psycho-culinary profiles. Check out the Foodworx Conference on February 4, 2014 The WFTA also hosted the 2013 World Food Travel Summit in Sweden Mmmmm...Vegemite! Chipotle is one of the big business sourcing ingredients locally Foodworx is held at the Gerding Theater at the Armory in Portland's Pearl District Deirdre Campbell from the Tartan Group will introduce the conference Dana Gunders from the Natural Resources Defense Council will speak Tommy Habetz of Bunk's Sandwiches will speak See talks from last year's Foodworx Conference David Howitt of the Meriweather Group will speak Everybody loves Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar Food for Thought: Q: What percentage of foodies identify themselves as "gourmet"? A: 8.1% Out of the Frying Pan Picks: Neighborhoods Foodies Should Try: The Food Truck Pod Downtown Favorite Food Trucks: Nong's Khao Man Gai and Whiffies Fried Pies Favorite Farmer's Market: Portland's Farmers Market Restaurants with the Best View: The Portland City Grill, the Avalon Bar & Grill, Timberline Lodge Latest Trend: Vegetarian and Vegan Cuisine Favorite Place to Get Coffee: Water Avenue, Portland Roasting Coffee,  Stumptown Coffee Roasters

This week on What Doesn’t Kill You, Katy Keiffer is talking expiration date labeling with Dana Gunders of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Recently, the NRDC and The Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic just released a report on food waste in the US called “The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America”, and Dana is on the program to review the report and dispel concerns regarding food labeling and food safety. Find out what organizations are in charge of determining “use by” and “sell by” dates, and how governmental regulation could potentially lead to better consistency. Learn how these dates mislead consumers and often lead to unnecessary food waste. How is date labeling also tied up in the controversies surrounding GMO labeling? How should labeling differ between fresh and processed foods? How do food labels affect grocers’ bottom line? Find out all of this and more on this week’s edition of What Doesn’t Kill You! Thanks to our sponsor, Underground Meats. Music provided by Dead Stars. “The FDA has the authority under current law to provide standardization for food labeling if they wanted to.” [8:15] “Food-borne illness is a result of contamination, not its age.” [11:00] — Dana Gunders on What Doesn’t Kill You

This week on What Doesn’t Kill You, Katy Keiffer is talking expiration date labeling with Dana Gunders of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Recently, the NRDC and The Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic just released a report on food waste in the US called “The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America”, and Dana is on the program to review the report and dispel concerns regarding food labeling and food safety. Find out what organizations are in charge of determining “use by” and “sell by” dates, and how governmental regulation could potentially lead to better consistency. Learn how these dates mislead consumers and often lead to unnecessary food waste. How is date labeling also tied up in the controversies surrounding GMO labeling? How should labeling differ between fresh and processed foods? How do food labels affect grocers’ bottom line? Find out all of this and more on this week’s edition of What Doesn’t Kill You! Thanks to our sponsor, Underground Meats. Music provided by Dead Stars. “The FDA has the authority under current law to provide standardization for food labeling if they wanted to.” [8:15] “Food-borne illness is a result of contamination, not its age.” [11:00] — Dana Gunders on What Doesn’t Kill You