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

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.

array(1) {
  ["latest"]=>
  array(3) {
    ["tax"]=>
    array(2) {
      [0]=>
      string(1) "7"
      [1]=>
      string(3) "143"
    }
    ["research"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["title"]=>
      string(0) ""
      ["image"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["promo_text"]=>
      string(37) "Read the latest project breakthroughs"
    }
    ["latest"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["title"]=>
      string(10) "The Latest"
      ["sections_show"]=>
      array(4) {
        [0]=>
        string(8) "insights"
        [1]=>
        string(4) "news"
        [2]=>
        string(6) "events"
        [3]=>
        string(13) "breakthroughs"
      }
      ["additional_past_events"]=>
      string(0) ""
    }
  }
}

The Latest

Insights

Our Insights highlight unique perspectives from across the food and agriculture community.

See all Insights

PIP is Pioneering Indoor Agriculture Collaborations

John Reich, Ph.D.

Scientific Program Director Bolstering Healthy Food Systems

Feedback Loops & Food Access

Gwendolyn Donley

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

News

The latest news and updates from FFAR.

See all News

Advancing Circular Bioeconomy with Biomass Feedstocks

FFAR & NWO Launch Greenhouses in Transition & Welcome Proposals

FFAR Grant Unites Urban Agriculture Operations to Increase Food Security

Researchers Investigate the Promise of Food Procurement

Pairing Regenerative Farming and Solar Energy Production to Improve Urban Resilience

FFAR Grant Develops Premium Strawberry Flavors for Indoor Growing Environments

FFAR & Schmidt Futures Release Report to Advance a Circular U.S. Bioeconomy

FFAR & WUR Launch Nature-Based Future Challenge

FFAR Grant Advances Equitable Food Access

FFAR Grant Addresses Food Waste Reduction Challenges

PIP Consortium Promotes Indoor Tomato Farming

FFAR Pioneers Vertical Farming to Grow Food in Cities, Other Nontraditional Spaces

FFAR Grant Advances Urban Food Systems Through Community Networks

Ohio State Mansfield and FFAR Launch $2 Million Food System Project

Precision Indoor Plants (PIP) Consortium to Revolutionize Agriculture

Grants Aim to Deliver Better Health, Economic Opportunities in Urban Communities

FFAR and AgLaunch Host Convening Event in Memphis to Prioritize Research and Commercialization Objectives for Cropping Systems of the Future

FFAR Awards $295,000 Grant to Strengthen Urban Agriculture Systems for Farmers and Communities

Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research Convenes International Leaders to Discuss Next Frontiers in Indoor Agriculture at IBM Research Headquarters

FFAR Awards $1 Million Grant to AeroFarms for Research to Improve Quality of Leafy Greens

Breakthroughs

Tools, technologies and strategies from the research we fund.

See all Breakthroughs

Building Food System Interventions to Support Urban & Rural Communities

Breakthrough for Integrating Community and Modeling Efforts to Evaluate Impacts and Tradeoffs of Food System Interventions

Emergency Food for Children & Families During the Pandemic

Breakthrough for Integrating Community and Modeling Efforts to Evaluate Impacts and Tradeoffs of Food System Interventions

ID: 557409

Want to do more to support our pioneering research?