Divert Inc. Launches Food Waste Legislative Tracker

WEST CONCORD, Mass. --Divert, Inc., an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food™, announced today the release of the Food Waste Legislative Tracker to provide insight into in-progress and existing wasted food policy issues across the U.S. Created in partnership with the Zero Food Waste Coalition (ZFWC) and the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), the comprehensive tool will serve to facilitate industry-wide collaboration, advocacy, and engagement around state-level food waste prevention, recovery, and recycling policies.

“For the past 17 years, Divert has been at the forefront of driving collaboration and solutions to accelerate our collective progress against the wasted food crisis,” said Ryan Begin, CEO and co-founder, Divert. “Food waste legislation is vast and constantly evolving. Too often we see that food industry decision-makers and everyday citizens find out about relevant legislation too late in the process to have an effective role in shaping policy before being signed into law. Together with our partners at ZFWC and FLPC, we are committed to providing a tool that not only informs, but also enables stakeholders across the industry to enact real change.”

While existing resources and tools are available on the food waste legislation already signed into law, the Food Waste Legislative Tracker is unique in that it encompasses information on in-progress state legislation. In doing so, the tool empowers decision-makers, policymakers, and consumers with the knowledge they need to understand and influence food legislation before it is already implemented. The interactive database provides an overview of wasted food prevention, food rescue, and food waste recycling bills in each state, and includes the following:

“Providing up-to-date information on bills that are working their way through state legislatures to tackle the issue of food waste is just one of the ways that the Zero Food Waste Coalition is providing tools to accelerate the momentum towards meeting our national goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030,” said Heather Latino, Clinical Instructor at the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic. “Resources like this support our coalition members who are on the ground implementing solutions to food waste. They know first-hand what policy opportunities and barriers exist in their communities and can use the tracker to engage in their state’s legislative process to replicate or drive supportive policy solutions.”

The Food Waste Legislative Tracker will be updated on a quarterly basis. For more information and for access to the tool, please click here.