In early 2015 Food Shift was hired by the Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission's Technical Advisory Committee to research where and why food is being wasted in the region, to identify community insights and solutions, and to make tangible recommendations to the county to make food recovery more efficient, effective, and equitable. Food Shift's research process consisted of interviewing and surveying numerous food businesses (restaurants, grocery stores, schools, etc.), food assistance groups (soup kitchens, food banks, senior centers, etc.), and food recovery groups (gleaning organizations, food recovery apps, etc.). This report gives a summary of food rescue policies and efforts in Santa Clara County, data and key findings from surveys and interviews, barriers to food rescue, recommendations for the county, and examples of successful programs across the nation.
Created by Dana Frasz, Hanna Morris, Ruth Abbe, Marie Mourad, and Emily Rehberger.