Food Recovery and Redistribution: Finding Solutions for Food Insecurity

Generating Food Systems Solutions
Generating Food Systems Solutions

Program Contact

Dr. John Reich
jreich@foundationfar.org

Dr. Beth Feingold

Dr. Beth Feingold

University at Albany – State University of New York

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $433,152

Total award amount   $870,998

Location   Albany, NY

Program   Tipping Points

Matching Funders   Bellwether Collaboratory, Capital Roots, The Food Pantries for the Capital District, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, University at Albany Foundation, University at Albany School of Public Health – State University of New York

  • Food Systems

Finding Nutrition in Surplus

Food pantries and other emergency food programs are vital sources of nutritious food, and demand for them is growing. In New York’s Albany region, the percentage of households using nutrition assistance programs has increased by 25 percent over the last decade. One way of ensuring these programs remain operational, while also providing the healthy food necessary to fight obesity, is diverting a region’s food supply surplus to populations facing food insecurity.

Urban food systems are vast networks of producers, suppliers, retailers, consumers and government. Optimizing a city-level food recovery and redistribution program involves complex collaboration among these stakeholders to identify local inefficiencies, opportunities for growth and system resilience.

Researchers at the University at Albany are compiling data in collaboration with community partners to create a dynamic model of the Albany region’s food system. The project is estimating how local, state and national food system policies, such as tax incentives for farmers and date-labeling education, might influence the region’s produce recovery strategies, donations, quality and access.

In addition, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic FFAR expanded the existing grant to the researchers to assess how food systems and especially emergency food systems operate and adapt in times of stress.

Why this research is important

This research is enhancing strategies to improve access to fresh produce at emergency food providers. This not only ensures adequate food supplies for the food insecure, but also has economic and environmental benefits:

  • Redirecting surplus food from the waste stream saves money for growers, retailers and consumers.
  • Reducing food waste cuts greenhouse gas emissions from rotting produce.
  • Providing accessible, healthy food to low-income families lowers rates of obesity, malnutrition and other chronic diseases linked to poor diets.
  • Low-cost or free access to nutritious food saves money for public and private emergency food programs.

Details About this Research

This project is developing models that quantify the environmental, nutritional and health impacts of the food recovery and redistribution system in mid-size metro areas. It is also determining how proposed policy scenarios will affect stakeholders in Albany, New York’s regional food system.

Research Objectives

  • Identifying barriers and opportunities in the recovery and redistribution of food surplus in a mid-scale metropolitan region, using existing data from project investigators and community partners
  • Quantifying the environmental impacts of transporting recovered surplus produce, and comparing the results to the impacts of landfilling and composting
  • Calculating the nutritional value per person of the recovered produce provided at regional food pantries over different seasons
  • Determining the impacts of produce recovery in Albany on greenhouse gas emissions, access to fresh produce and health risks for food insecure populations

How This Research Contributes to Our Mission

We advance actionable science to develop tools, technologies and information that benefits farmers, consumers and the environment. Building collaborative, local public-private partnerships to recover and redirect food surplus increases access to nutritious food while supporting sustainable food systems.

Matching Funders

Bellwether Collaboratory, Capital Roots, The Food Pantries for the Capital District, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, University at Albany Foundation, University at Albany School of Public Health – State University of New York

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