History: The departments of Environment and Energy, Public Health, and the Center for Innovation and Excellence are collaborating to conduct an audit of Hennepin County’s food rescue system to identify gaps and opportunities to increase the diversion of food that would otherwise go to waste. The audit includes engagement with food rescue organizations, food donors, and residents that rely on the food distributed from food rescue efforts. Findings will be used to identify ways the county can better support the efforts of the organizations rescuing food to feed those in need. This includes greater funding for these efforts, finding ways to ensure organizations are getting the foods they need to provide to those depending on them, and preventing the overproduction of the foods that are not needed.   

 

The study will conclude in late summer 2022 and a final report summarizing the findings and proposed strategies will be completed in the fall.  

 

Staff solicited proposals from food rescue organizations, meal service providers and community groups with long-standing relationships in the community to host and facilitate discussions on resident experiences obtaining food through the food rescue system, focusing heavily on access to culturally specific and highly nutritious foods.  

 

County staff recommended contracting with three community groups. Agreement PR00004394 with Asian Media Access will be executed through administrative processes. Agreements PR00004394 and PR00004395 with VEAP, Inc. and Community Emergency Assistance Programs, Inc., respectively, require board approval because these organizations have executed agreements with the county that exceed $100,000. 

 

Sixty-three million tons of food are wasted in the United States each year, representing around 15% of the total waste generated. Waste sorts have concluded that 20% of Hennepin County’s trash is food. On average, 3.5 pounds of food are wasted per person per week. Two-thirds of that waste is potentially edible. 

 

Funding for this agreement comes from the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund.  

 

Current Request: This request seeks authorization for the County Administrator to negotiate Agreement PR00004395 with Community Emergency Assistance Programs, Inc. and Agreement PR00004394 with VEAP, Inc. to conduct community engagement services for the county’s food rescue audit during the period June 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022, with a total combined amount not-to-exceed $21,000. 

Impact/Outcomes: Reducing food waste is a foundational strategy of the county’s Climate Action Plan and is one of the single most effective solutions to reduce the impacts of climate change. These agreements will help the county identify ways to divert edible food from the trash and advance a zero-waste future. This will reduce the upstream climate change impacts from the energy used to grow, produce, transport and store food products. These agreements will also help the county reduce the climate change impacts of food waste by reducing the amount of edible food that is landfilled, and thereby reducing the amount of methane that is generated from that food.  

 

This supports the county's disparity reduction efforts, including increasing food security, mitigating the disproportionate adverse impacts of climate change and reducing the burden of the solid waste system on communities of color and low-income families.