Food Shift is dedicated
to building a more just and sustainable food system.
We know that food is valuable nutrition which uses precious environmental resources and should be used to feed people in our communities.
Food Shift works collaboratively with communities, businesses and governments to increase awareness and shift behaviors toward a more sustainable use of food. We create replicable programs and tools which can be implemented and utilized to divert food loss in homes, businesses and municipalities. We are dedicated to developing, testing and supporting new models that create sustainable and systemic change.
Through reducing waste— we can create jobs, feed the hungry, conserve natural resources, combat climate change and
cultivate more sustainable communities. Food Shift is working toward these goals through education, food recovery and business partnerships.
Each and every one of us can be part of the solution.
Through Food Shift’s events, online resources, and collaborative programs we provide guidance and promote opportunities for individuals, organizations, and businesses to use food waste reduction as a strategy that saves money, benefits the community, and alleviates strain on the environment. By trimming waste and diverting food loss we can alleviate hunger, create jobs, combat climate change, conserve natural resources, and cultivate more sustainable communities.
Food Waste Awareness and Action Campaign
The economic, social and environmental impacts of food waste.
Americans throw away an estimated 25% of the food they bring home— enough to fill a 90,000 seat football stadium every day.
Food habits that lead to waste are expensive and harmful to the environment. Food Shift is here to support you in shifting your behaviors toward a more sustainable use of food.
Our Food Waste Awareness and Action Campaign educates consumers and engages businesses around the economic, social and environmental impacts of food waste.
By reducing food waste, we also reduce harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, divert valuable nutrients to the hungry, and save money.
Food Recovery
An essential part of the solution.
Food recovery is a service that involves the collection and redistribution of edible food that would otherwise go to waste. In the United States, we currently waste 40% of all the food which we produce, which creates incredible social, financial and environmental costs. Food recovery is a clear strategy to reduce landfill space, save money, feed the hungry and create more sustainable waste-free communities.
At Food Shift we also see food recovery as an opportunity to create thousands of jobs as part of the green economy. Food Runners in San Francisco is collecting and redistributing 10 tons of food per week and DC Central Kitchen is employing 144 people and preventing $1,200,000 in food waste each year. How can we learn from these models, scale them up and make them more sustainable?
Food recovery groups are feeding the hungry, reducing waste disposal costs for businesses and municipalities, and are protecting the environment by reducing the environmental impacts of wasted food. But the majority of these groups in
the U.S. provide their services for free and depend on volunteer commitments and donations to operate. This structure is unsustainable and limits the ability for food recovery groups to expand, increase impact and create the long-lasting results necessary to solve this massive problem.
Food Shift is determined to establish food recovery as a necessary component of a just and sustainable food system and a valued service within the green economy. We need to acknowledge this work as an essential component of a just and sustainable food system and value it as such in order to expand and grow.
In 2011-2012, Food Shift was responsible for the collection and redistribution of over 10,000 pounds of food to local food assistance agencies. Food Shift is moving beyond charity by giving disenfranchised urban residents an opportunity to participate in our food recovery job training program. Contact us if you would like to support green jobs by hiring Food Shift to collect and redistribute your excess food.
Business Partnerships
Social and environmental consciousness is on the rise and we know that many people want to reduce both waste and hunger. As a restaurant, sustainable food brand or grocery store, you can educate, inspire and connect with thousands of people through a Food Shift partnership.
Together we can give people an opportunity to turn their dining experience into a more meaningful act of social and environmental commitment. We invite you to contribute to this movement in two ways (all donations are, of course, tax deductible):
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Donating excess food— 50 million Americans don’t have enough food. Food Shift collects good quality excess food and redistributes it to local food assistance centers.
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Join the Satisfeito Project— Participating restaurants select one or two dishes on their menu that customers may order as a Satisfeito portion, which is 1/3 smaller than the original portion. The smaller dish is sold at the original price, and a share of the money that the restaurants saves by selling a Satisfeito plate is donated to Food Shift to further child hunger alleviation efforts in the Bay Area. Please email us to learn more.