U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today recognized the accomplishments of organizations and businesses in the Great Lakes region participating in EPA's Food Recovery Challenge program. EPA works with organizations through the Food Recovery Challenge to prevent and reduce wasted food in order to save money, protect the environment and feed the hungry.
EPA has announced that MB Financial Park in Rosemont, Illinois, Savor Chicago at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois, and Kroger, a supermarket chain and retailer based in Cincinnati, Ohio, won 2014 Food Recovery Challenge Awards. Awards were given for the following:
● MB Financial Park reduced the largest percentage of food waste in its sector.
● Savor McCormick Place West reduced the largest percentage of food waste for a convention center. Savor Chicago also earned honorable mention in the leadership and education and outreach categories.
● Kroger won awards in three categories—leadership, innovation, and education and outreach; and honorable mention for source reduction.
A third of the food grown, harvested and purchased in the United States is thrown away, which costs the average family of four $1,600 every year. In addition, 25 percent of the nation’s freshwater supplies go toward growing food that is never eaten. In 2013, EPA's Food Recovery Challenge participants kept more than 370,000 tons of wasted food out of landfills or incinerators nationwide. Of this total, more than 36,000 tons of food was donated to feed people in need, which equates to nearly 56 million meals.
