NO TIME TO Waste Act
- Sponsor
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]
- Committees
- Agriculture Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Apr 10, 2025
Bottom line
The NO TIME TO Waste Act creates new federal infrastructure, grant programs, and mandates to significantly reduce food loss and waste across the United States by 2030.
What it actually does
This bill establishes a new Office of Food Loss and Waste within the Department of Agriculture, creates several grant programs to support data collection, infrastructure, and public-private partnerships, and mandates a national education campaign. It also requires federal contractors to report on food waste reduction efforts and prioritizes food loss and waste research in existing USDA grant programs. The bill aims to improve coordination across federal agencies and with external stakeholders to achieve a 50 percent reduction in food loss and waste by 2030.
Proponents argue
Supporters argue this bill addresses critical issues of food insecurity, climate change, and economic inefficiency by systematically tackling food loss and waste. They contend that a coordinated federal approach, coupled with local partnerships and public education, is essential to meet ambitious reduction goals, improve resource utilization, and redirect edible food to those in need, while also fostering innovation in upcycled food products.
Opponents contend
Critics might raise concerns about the creation of new federal offices and grant programs, arguing that it could lead to increased bureaucratic overhead and potentially duplicate existing efforts. Some may contend that the authorized appropriations, while significant, might not be sufficient to achieve the ambitious national goals, or that market-based solutions and private sector initiatives should be prioritized over government intervention.
The bill is moderately complex but accessible, allowing an informed reader to understand its core provisions within the estimated reading time.
Section 3
Office of Food Loss and Waste Establishment and Responsibilities
This section establishes a new Office of Food Loss and Waste within the Department of Agriculture. This office is tasked with comprehensive research on food loss and waste, quantifying its impact on greenhouse gas emissions, publishing progress reports, creating educational tools, tracking federal programs, analyzing policy data, and recommending new regulations or investments. It also includes a grant program for collecting data on state and local food loss and waste policies.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that a dedicated office is crucial for centralizing and coordinating federal efforts, providing a clear mandate for research, data collection, and policy development to effectively tackle the complex issue of food loss and waste.
Critics contend
Some might argue that creating a new office could lead to bureaucratic bloat or overlap with existing departmental functions, suggesting that current agencies could be tasked with these responsibilities without establishing a new entity.
Tradeoffs
The tradeoff involves balancing the benefits of a dedicated, focused entity with the potential for increased administrative costs and the risk of duplicating efforts already underway in other USDA divisions or federal agencies.
Section 4(a)
Regional Coordinators for Food Recovery
This provision directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish regional coordinators within the Department. These coordinators will partner with food producers, processors, distributors, and recovery organizations to facilitate real-time food recovery, develop capacity for ongoing recovery, and provide technical support to organizations involved in picking up, processing, and delivering surplus food to communities.
Section 4(b)
Food Recovery and Distribution Infrastructure Support and Coordination Block Grants
This section establishes a new block grant program, administered by the Secretary of Agriculture in coordination with the Office of Food Loss and Waste, to provide annual grants to States and Indian Tribes. These grants are intended to fund projects that develop and support food recovery infrastructure, such as storage, processing equipment, temperature-controlled distribution, technological solutions for connecting surplus food, and support for salaries of food recovery organizations.
Section 5(b)
Federal Contractor Food Waste Reporting Requirement
This provision amends the Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 to *require*, rather than merely encourage, federal contractors to prevent and reduce food loss and waste. Crucially, it mandates that contractors submit reports to their executive agencies detailing their efforts, actions, and the quantity of food wasted or donated under their contracts.
Section 7
Promoting Public-Private Partnerships on Food Loss and Waste
This section establishes a grant program, administered by the Office of Food Loss and Waste, to incentivize State, municipal, local, or Tribal governments to form public-private partnerships. These partnerships must commit to reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030, establish measurement methodologies, collect data, and make annual reports publicly available. Eligible private entities include those from grocery, hospitality, restaurants, supercenters, and healthcare sectors.
Section 8
National Food Loss and Waste Education and Awareness Campaign
This section mandates the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Administrator of the EPA, to launch a national education and public awareness campaign. The campaign will educate consumers on topics like food preservation, distinguishing food freshness from safety dates, composting, and upcycled food products. It will use a dual framework of community engagement and national messaging, including pilot projects and waste audits to assess effectiveness.
Exempts any group formed for consultation or providing advice under this paragraph from the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
Section 5(a)(4)(F)
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice to allow agencies to gather input from external stakeholders without the often burdensome procedural requirements and transparency rules of FACA, which can make forming and operating advisory groups more difficult.
Case for: Supporters argue that this exemption allows for more agile and informal consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders, facilitating quicker and more practical advice without excessive bureaucratic hurdles.
Case against: Critics might contend that FACA exemptions reduce transparency and public accountability for groups advising federal agencies, potentially allowing special interests to exert influence without public scrutiny.
Estimated impact: Enables more flexible and less formal consultation processes for the USDA, EPA, and FDA with various external groups on food loss and waste issues.
Amends the Composting and Food Waste Reduction Program to require the Secretary to publish guidance for applicants lacking resources to obtain technical assistance, specifically to help them prepare applications. It also requires the Secretary to accept applications for a duration sufficient to ensure smaller and rural communities can apply.
Section 6(2)(A)(iv) and (v)
Why it matters:This is a common legislative technique to refine and improve the accessibility and equity of existing grant programs, often added to ensure that the benefits of federal programs reach a broader range of communities, including those with fewer administrative resources.
Case for: Proponents argue that these provisions are crucial for ensuring equitable access to federal funding, particularly for smaller and rural communities or those with limited grant-writing capacity, thereby maximizing the program's reach and impact.
Case against: No specific opposition is typically raised against provisions designed to improve access and equity in grant programs, as they are generally viewed as beneficial administrative improvements.
Estimated impact: Increases the likelihood that smaller, rural, and less-resourced communities can successfully apply for and receive grants under the Composting and Food Waste Reduction Program, broadening its impact.