Local restaurants can improve sustainability with Food Waste Business Challenge

Over 10 businesses will work with the city to tackle food waste

Over 108 billion pounds of food is wasted annually in the United States.

The Office of Sustainability announced the launch of the Food Waste Business Challenge to get local businesses on board. At least 10 businesses will be selected to work with the Center for EcoTechnology (CET) to determine where food waste is created, create goals, and a strategy to reduce, divert or repurpose food waste. The program will run for six months from October through April 2022.

Food businesses from takeout and casual eateries to full-service sit-down restaurants are encouraged to apply.

The City partnered with the Center for EcoTechnology to work directly with each participating Philadelphia food business to: Identify how and when food waste is created; Set goals to target this waste; and Implement new ways to reduce, repurpose, and divert food waste before and after consumption.

Similar initiatives have been done in Nashville, TN, and Denver, CO.

The City of Philadelphia is leading the initiative with CET due to a grant from the USDA.

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How to Apply

Food businesses can apply now through October 3, 2021. The application should take 20-30 minutes to complete and is able to be edited until the submission deadline.