On top of distributing food to people who need it, food banks across the country play a vital role in reducing food waste. The USDA estimates that up to 40% of the nation’s food supply goes to waste every year. Food rescue serves two main purposes- it keeps some of that food from being wasted, and it also gets perfectly nutritious food out to the people who need it most. Annette Hacker, chief communications and strategy officer with the Food Bank of Iowa, said they have an active food rescue presence in all 55 counties they serve.
Most of the rescued food comes from retail stores, which get tax incentives from giving back to their neighbors.
The Food Bank of Iowa relies on food rescue to meet the needs of food-insecure Iowans- in fact, Hacker said that eliminating waste and feeding the hungry is exactly why food banking started in the first place.
For more information, visit foodbankiowa.org.
