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How Food Waste Prevention Week Is Mobilizing a Nation
From classrooms to compost bins, meet the women leading the charge against food waste.
Christy Cook, Seth Combs & Eric Pasewalk
March 25, 2025
Listen to our podcast: Spotify or Apple Music
Every once in a while, a movement comes along that isn’t just about awareness—it’s about action. Food Waste Prevention Week, happening April 7–13, is one of those moments. And behind this growing national campaign are two unstoppable forces: Elaine Blatt and Elaine Fiore.
On a recent Going Zero podcast episode, we sat down with “The Elaines” to talk about how food waste impacts climate, communities, and wallets—and how individuals, schools, and businesses can be part of the solution.
The Problem Is Big. But So Is the Opportunity.
The numbers are staggering:
40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted each year.
That’s 119 billion pounds of food.
And it costs over $408 billion globally.
But beyond the stats, this waste touches every aspect of our lives. It’s a leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (8–10%), a missed economic opportunity, and a stark symbol of inequity—34 million Americans face food insecurity while good food is thrown away.
Meet the Elaines
Elaine Fiore is the Behavior Change Lead at WRAP Americas. A former middle school teacher, she brings energy and heart to the food waste fight, inspired by a simple student food audit that revealed one Florida school was tossing over 52,000 unopened food items annually. Multiply that across Broward County, and the number soared to over 11 million.
Elaine Blatt is a Senior Policy Analyst with Oregon DEQ, where she leads statewide efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of food systems. Her “Bad Apple” campaign, based on values-driven messaging and market research, caught Fiore’s attention—and sparked a powerful partnership.
Now, they co-chair the national Food Waste Prevention Week campaign, bringing together state agencies, schools, businesses, and communities in a week-long push to shift behaviors and elevate solutions.
From Coast to Coast: A Collaborative Campaign
What began as a social media initiative in Florida has exploded into a national movement with:
🎵 A “Food Waste Remix” theme featuring jingles and positive messaging
🧠 Webinars, trivia nights, and cooking demos
🎨 Student art and poetry contests
🧪 Citizen science food audits
🧑🍳 Campus events and Name Image Likeness (NIL) influencer partnerships
🍺 Brewery partnerships (like bread-to-beer brews!)
💡 Toolkits and resources for anyone ready to take action
Elaine Fiore puts it simply:
“It’s something we can all rally around. Nobody wants to throw food away. We just need to make it easier, more fun, and show people what’s possible in their schools, their homes, and their businesses.”
Why This Matters
Blatt breaks it down:
“Every time we waste a pound of food, we’re wasting the land, water, fertilizer, and energy it took to produce it. And when it ends up in a landfill, it creates methane—one of the most potent greenhouse gases.”
🌍 Preventing food waste isn’t just a nice idea—it’s climate action. In fact, it has 6–7 times the impact of composting or anaerobic digestion when it comes to reducing emissions.
💸 For households, it’s a money issue too. The average American family throws away $2,000–$3,000 worth of food annually. For food businesses, reducing waste can yield a 14x return on investment.
🍎 And perhaps most urgently, it’s a moral imperative. We waste four times the amount of food needed to feed every food-insecure person in the U.S.
The Behavior Change Playbook
Changing human behavior isn’t easy—but it is possible. Here’s what works:
🧊 Designate a “use it up” shelf in your fridge.
📅 Create a regular fridge night to eat leftovers.
🛍️ Use visual cues like food waste messaging on reusable bags.
🧲 Try simple tools like fridge magnets with QR codes for storage tips.
🗓️ Advocate for consistent, clear date labels—like California’s two-label standard (one for quality, one for safety).
🎓 And don’t forget the power of youth: schools and universities are prime grounds for engagement, from hands-on food audits to NIL reels where students demonstrate how to reduce waste in the dining hall.
A Landfill Crisis—and a Call to Action
Elaine Fiore shared a sobering reality: Miami-Dade County has run out of landfill space, and nearby Broward has only six years left. As landfills close, food waste becomes an even more urgent issue—not just for climate, but for community planning and justice.
“Start with Your Next Meal.”
The beauty of reducing food waste? You don’t have to buy anything. You don’t need a government policy. You just need to take action.
Whether you’re a teacher, business leader, or everyday eater—Food Waste Prevention Week is your moment to get involved.
Learn more, access resources, become a partner, and find an event near you at: www.foodwastepreventionweek.com
“Reducing food waste is the easiest, most positive action we can all take to combat climate change. And you can start with your next meal.” — Elaine Blatt
📢 Spread the word. 🌍 Take the pledge. 🥦 Love your leftovers.
And we’ll see you out there.
— The Going Zero Team
Listen to the full episode here on Spotify.
Learn More
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