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IntroductionThis project took a novel approach to reducing wasted food and improving food donation by prioritizing and centering the ideas and experiences of frontline grocery retail workers, who were integrally involved in each step of the research process. In this paper, we describe in detail the methods used in the Food Donation Champions Project, a worker-centered project in collaboration with a large US grocery retail chain. We provide the context, process, and lessons learned through our partnership with corporate leaders and frontline workers. MethodsThis project was conducted using a convergent, human-centered design process, involving design, public health, and anthropology research methodologies. The process involved six steps: planning, research, synthesis, ideation, prototype development and testing, and strategy finalization. We collected qualitative data through interviews and observations with grocery retail workers, members of corporate leadership, and stores' donation partners (i.e., food pantries and food banks). Frontline workers informed this research strategy and participated in all stages of analysis and strategy development. DiscussionThe process and findings described in this paper provide researchers and leaders in grocery retail a guide to a novel methodology and research approach that may be used to enhance projects that elevate the lived experience of people most central to addressing social and environmental problems. 

Objectives:To assess changes in food acquisition behavior, food insecurity, and dietary behavior and identify factors associated with fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption during the transitional period (before and after the initial vaccine rollout for all adults) of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design:Successive independent samples design. Online surveys were conducted from October 2020 to February 2021 (time 1, before the vaccine rollout) and from October 2021 to December 2021 (time 2, after the vaccine rollout). Descriptive analysis examined changes in food sources, food security, and daily FV consumption in cup equivalents (CEs) from time 1 to time 2. A multivariable logistic regression analysis examined factors associated with FV consumption. Setting:The Capital Region of New York State. Participants:1553 adults 18 years of age and older. Main Outcome Measure:Meeting the 2020-2025 MyPlate daily FV consumption recommendations. Results:There were statistically significant (P< .05) increases in the use of supermarkets, eat-in restaurants, farmers’ markets, and convenience stores from time 1 to time 2. Food insecurity (40.1% vs 39.4%) and FV consumption (2.6 CE vs 2.4 CE) slightly declined but not significantly. Home food procurement such as gardening and foraging (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.08-2.37) and shopping at food co-op/health food stores (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.07-2.49) were significantly associated with the FV outcome, and these relationships were not modified by food security status. Conclusions:The present study highlights the importance of food sources in understanding adult dietary behavior during the transitional period of the pandemic. Continuing efforts to monitor access to food sources, food insecurity, and dietary behavior are warranted as various COVID-related emergency food assistance measures have expired. 

Abstract Food loss and waste (FLW) is a major challenge to food system sustainability, including aquatic foods. We investigated aquatic FLW in the food supply of the United States, the largest importer of aquatic food globally, using primary and secondary data and life cycle methodology. We show that there are significant differences in FLW among species, production technology, origin and stage of supply chain. We estimate total aquatic FLW was 22.7%, which is 43–55% lower than earlier estimates reported in the literature, illustrating the importance of applying a disaggregated approach. Production losses associated with imported food contribute over a quarter of total FLW, and addressing these losses requires multinational efforts to implement interventions along the supply chain. These findings inform prioritization of solutions—including areas of need for innovations, government incentives, policy change, infrastructure and equity. 

The donation of unharvested or unsold crops to rescue organizations has been promoted as a strat­egy to improve healthy food access for food inse­cure households while reducing production-level food loss and waste (FLW). In this study, we aimed to assess the motivations, barriers, and facili­tators for crop donation as a FLW reduction strat­egy among Maryland farmers. We interviewed 18 Maryland-based food producers (nine frequent crop donors and nine infrequent, by self-report) in 2016 – 2017, soliciting their perspectives on crop donation motivators, process feasibility, and inte­r­ventions aimed at increasing crop donation. The interviews were thematically coded. All respond­ents were aware of crop donation as an option, and most expressed interest in reducing FLW by divert­ing crop surpluses for human consumption. While financial barriers represented one aspect influenc­ing donation decisions, respondents also cited con­venience, process knowledge, and liability as key considerations. In contrast to frequent donors, many of whom considered donation a moral imperative, some infrequent donors questioned the expectation that they would donate crops without compensation. Both frequent and infrequent donors were aware of pro-donation tax incentives, and infrequent donors reported being unlikely to use them. This research demonstrates that crop donation motivations, barriers, and facilitators can be diverse. Given the existence of crop surpluses and their potential benefits as emergency food, our results suggest that multiple interventions and poli­cies may contribute to incentivizing and facilitating crop donation (or enabling the purchase of surplus crops) rather than one-size-fits-all approaches. Our findings also highlight a need to prioritize crop recovery methods that enhance growers’ financial stability. 

Scant research focuses on the resiliency of food supply chain networks to outbreaks, despite the estimated 600 million global foodborne illnesses annually. Outbreaks that cross country, state and provincial lines are virulent due to the number of people they can affect and difficulty controlling them. Research is needed on food supply chain networks, which are not well-characterized in relation to foodborne illnesses or generally. This paper introduces the United States Food, Energy, and State Transportation (US-FEAST) model and demonstrates its applicability via analysis of a hypothetical demand shock resulting from multistate food contamination. US-FEAST is an optimization-based model across all fifty states with yearly timesteps to 2030. It is a framework integrating food system data from multiple individual data sources. To calibrate, we develop a bilevel optimization routine to generate synthetic, state-level data and provide estimates of otherwise unavailable data at the intersections of the food and transportation systems. The results of US-FEAST elucidate potential heterogenous state-level variations in response, regional changes in food flows, vulnerabilities in the supply chain, and implications for food system resilience. While the generated data and scenarios are not empirical evidence, they provide insights to aid in planning by projecting outcomes and intervention effects. Our results estimate a 23% beef production decrease and 4% price decrease provide a road map toward data needs for quantifying food system resilience to foodborne illness. US-FEAST and its framework may have global utility for studying food safety in national and international food supply chain networks.