Food Recovery Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, every day in kitchens across the country, someone pulls a can of soup right out of their cupboard or a box of pasta off the shelf. They look at the ``best by'' date on the package, and then they try to decide whether to throw it out or not. Is the food no good because it is past the date, or does it still have weeks or even years of shelf life left?

Too often perfectly good food gets thrown out, contributing to the 40 percent of all food that is wasted every year in this country. Much of it ends up in a landfill, where it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Currently, Mr. Speaker, there is no standard for date labeling, which is one reason I have introduced the Food Recovery Act this week. My bill has nearly two dozen proposals to reduce food waste, including a provision that would require manufacturers who do put a date on their food to include the words ``manufacturer's suggestion only.'' It doesn't mean that the food is bad just because the date has gone by.

Mr. Speaker, if we cut food waste by just 15 percent and direct the food that would be wasted to those in need, we can reduce the number of Americans struggling with hunger by one-half. I urge my colleagues to join me to help reduce food waste in the United States.

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