Plenary Sessions
Video Message from Gina McCarthy and Tom Vilsac to FRS Attendees
Federal Initiatives on Food Efficiency and Recovery - Video Recording
Monday, Nov 16 1:30 – 3:00
Federal government representatives will highlight initiatives related to food loss and waste efforts. Join Summit participants with a Federal Call to Action on reducing wasted food.
Speakers: Mathy Stanislaus - Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, U.S. EPA
Barbara Ekwall - Senior Liaison Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Video Part 1, Video Part 2
Industry Initiatives on Food Recovery - Video Recording
Monday, Nov 16 3:30 – 5:00
Leadership in food recovery is coming from a powerful coalition of industry actors representing food manufacturers, retailers, and restaurants. This session will feature an overview of industry initiatives under the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, followed by a panel discussion sharing perspectives on how we advance food recovery.
Moderator: Scott Mouw - State Recycling Director, NC DEQ
Speaker: Gail Tavill - Vice President, Packaging and Sustainable Productivity, Conagra Foods, and Chair, Food Waste Reduction Alliance
Panelists: Ian Olson - Director, Sustainability Strategy and Restaurants, McDonalds
Michael Hewett - Director of Environmental and Sustainability Programs, Publix
Christy Cook - Director Sustainability Performance and Field Support, Sodexo
Circles, Cycles, and Pyramids - Video Recording
Tuesday, Nov 17 8:30 – 9:45
The practice of source reduction, food rescue and donation, and recycling of nonedible food has evolved in the 15 years since the traditional food waste management hierarchy in the form of an inverted pyramid was created. How can the experiences and knowledge gained to reduce wasted food throughout the food supply chain — from production to consumption to resource management — inform the way we present the fundamental message of food recovery and recycling? What would happen, for example, if we used the “circular economy” model? Or a food system life cycle approach where there is no “waste” to dispose? Panelists provide a variety of perspectives.
Facilitators:Nora Goldstein - Editor, BioCycle
Nina Goodrich - Executive Director, GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition
Panelists: Susan Robinson - Federal Public Affairs Director, Waste Management, Inc.
Andrew Shakman - Co-Founder and CEO, LeanPath
Kathleen Salyer - Deputy Director - Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, U.S. EPA
Mapping Our Way Forward on Food Recovery - Video Recording
Wednesday, Nov 18 1:30 – 3:00
This session will present a brief summary and main take-aways of the Food Recovery Summit sessions. Panelists will identify and address the key next steps in food recovery and help outline future work to accelerate progress.
Moderator: Michelle Heelan - ICF International Facilitator
Panelists: Mathy Stanislaus - Assistant Administrator - OSWER, U.S. EPA
Scott Mouw - State Recycling Director, NC DEQ
John Laughead - Sustainability Program Manager, Delhaize America
Dana Gunders - Staff Scientist, Food and Agriculture Program, NRDC
Paulette Dunn - Executive Director, Loaves & Fishes
Karen Hanner - Managing Director Manufacturing Product Sourcing, Feeding America
Wayne Koeckeritz - President, Food Waste Disposal, LLC
Breakout Sessions
Campaigns to Create Big Picture Awareness
Tuesday, Nov 17 10:15 - 11:45
Food waste and recovery is becoming a very prominent issue, driven in part by organizations and individuals who have been working hard to create awareness. This session will feature some of the most important efforts to raise the public profile of food efficiency and to rally us to action.
Moderator: Richard Chesley, South Carolina DHEC
Speakers: Dana Gunders - Natural Resources Defense Council
Cheryl Coleman - U.S. EPA
Barbara Ekwall - Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN
Successful Commercial/Institutional Collection Partnerships
Tuesday Nov 17 10:15 - 11:45
This session will focus on building successful partnerships to help establish collection from commercial and institutional food waste generators. Learn what drives generators to divert food, how collection is set up, how contracts work, and what other pieces fell in place to make these diversion programs a success.
Moderator: Peter Klaich - Rubicon
Speakers: Jen Jones - College of Charleston
Wayne Koecheritz - Food Waste Disposal
Maggie Dangerfield - Charleston County School District
Gary Bilbro - SMART Recycling, Inc.
Nick Jonjevic - Burtons Grill, Mt. Pleasant
Regulations and Optimizing Food Recovery
Tuesday, Nov 17 10:15 - 11:45
Safe and effective food recovery requires permitting and regulatory oversight. Appropriate regulations are crucial to the development of infrastructure and programs to divert food discards from disposal. This session will cover how different regulatory approaches can positively affect food recovery efforts.
Moderator: Ron Vance - U.S. EPA
Speakers: Jana White, South Carolina DHEC
Nicole Civita - University of Arkansas School of Law
Emily Broad Leib - Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic
John Fischer - Mass DEP
Recovering Food From Residential Sources
Tuesday, Nov 17 1:15 - 2:45
Households generate as much as 300 - 400 pounds of leftover food per year. How can this material be collected and put back to beneficial use? This session will present an overview of community residential food recovery programs and what makes them successful.
Moderator: Nora Goldstein - BioCycle
Speakers: Rick Lombardo - Nature-Tec
Justin Senkbeil - CompostNow
Gemma Evans - Howard County, MD
Carla Bitz - Calgary, CA
Processing of Commercial and Institutional Food Discards – Generators’ Perspectives
Tuesday, Nov 17 1:15 – 2:45
Once discarded food is collected, it must be managed through on-site or off-site processing. Speakers in this session will discuss various methods of managing separated food discards in commercial and institutional settings, sharing experiences with different approaches and tips on what factors to consider in choosing the best options.
Moderator: Jana White - South Carolina DHEC
Speakers: Kim Brunson - Publix
Jona Gallagher - Enviropure
Christy Cook - Sodexo
Cheri Chastain - Sierra Nevada
Composting of Food Discards
Tuesday, Nov 17 1:15 – 2:45
Composting is a key food recovery technology, but it must be done properly and with a valuable end-product in mind. This session will explore the details of successful food composting, including the importance of clean feedstocks, how to optimally conduct the composting process, and how to ensure the production of high quality compost.
Moderator: Patrick Brownson - South Carolina DHEC
Speakers: Craig Coker - Coker Composting
Jen Maxwell - Appalachian State University
Jim Lanier - Earth Farms
Ned Foley - American Biosoils and Compost
Food Rescue and Donation Please Participate in the Session Survey Click HERE
Tuesday, Nov 17 3:15 - 5:00
Discussion will focus on major barriers in food rescue and donation. A variety of perspectives will be represented, including: local and large businesses, food donation organizations and facilities, growers and academia. Challenges and options of food donation will be addressed and solutions outlined. Participants will be able to contribute to session direction and conversation topics by completing the on-line survey in advance of the Summit.
Moderator: Chris Beling - U.S. EPA - Region 1
Speakers: Kimberly Reynolds - Publix
Jill Staton Bullard - Interfaith Food Shuttle
Karen Hanner - Feeding America
John Masters - One80 Place
Nicole Civita - University of Arkansas School of Law
Emily Broad Leib - Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic
Kate MacKenzie - City Harvest
The Business of Food Recovery
Tuesday, Nov 17 3:15 - 5:00
For large-scale food recovery to be feasible, the business of preventing, collecting, and processing food discards needs to work. This session will address everything from basic economics to financing and sound business planning in building a long-term and sustainable (and profitable) food recovery infrastructure.
Moderator: Jay Bassett - U.S. EPA Region 4
Speakers: Sarah Vared - MissionPoint Partners
Andrew Shakman - LeanPath
Fred Atiemo - Self-Help Credit Union
Joseph McMillan - Atlas Organics
Noel Lyons - McGill Environmental
Alan Johnson - Quasar
Campaigns to Engage Consumers
Wednesday, Nov 18 8:30 - 10:00
As they become aware of food waste and recovery issues, average citizens can play a huge role in achieving solutions. Speakers in this session will share examples of successful efforts to engage citizens and to help them participate in solutions in their role as consumers.
Moderator: John Laughead - Delhaize America
Speakers: Chris Beling - U.S. EPA
Laura Fuller - United Nations Environmental Programme
Ali Schklair - National Consumers League
Jimmy Nguyen - USDA
Regan Hill - Ad Council
Local and State Programs - Paving the Way to Increased Food Recovery
Wednesday, Nov 18 8:30 - 10:00
This session will feature a panel discussion focusing on how state and local governments help create a favorable environment for successful food recovery. State and local leaders will discuss how they use grants, technical assistance, networking, and mandates to develop infrastructure and robust diversion programs.
Moderator: Leanne Spaulding - US Composting Council
Panelists: Eric Gerringer - Orange County, NC, long-time diversion program in place
Christine Moskos - Charleston County, SC
Jorge Montezuma - NC DEQ
Ian Jurgensen - Orlando, FL
Chantal Fryer - SC Dept. of Commerce
Digestions of Food Discards
Wednesday, Nov 18 8:30 - 10:00
Anaerobic digestion is attracting more attention as an effective means of capturing the energy value of recovered food. How does AD work and where does it fit in the hierarchy of food recovery techniques? This session will share examples and details of successful us of AD in address food discards.
Moderator: Craig Coker - Coker Composting and Consulting
Speakers: Melissa Pennington - U.S. EPA
Ryan Begin - FEED Resource Recovery
Lauren Fillmore - WERF
Doug Ross - Freestate Farms
Scott MacDonald - Prince William County, VA
Grassroots and Community-based Initiatives in Food Recovery
Wednesday, Nov 18 10:30 - 12:00
Progress in food recovery and reducing food waste will come through the commitment and actions of a huge range of generators and other entities. This session will share the stories of organizations who are creating and rallying people to effective food recovery and waste reduction initiatives.
Moderator: Scott Mouw - NC DEQ
Speakers: Regina Northouse - Food Recovery Network
Brenda Platt -ILSR
Nina Goodrich - GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition
The Role of Animal Feeding in Food Recovery
Wednesday, Nov 18 10:30 - 12:00
Feeding animals represents a cost-effective option for many food waste generators. How do the logistics of animal feeding work and where does it fit in the overall efforts of food recovery? This session will feature an inside look at the role of animal feeding as a key strategy in the diversion of food from disposal.
Moderator: Kim Brunson - Publix
Speakers: Matt Hedrick -Organix
Thomas Harrison - Valley Proteins
John Laughead - Delhaize America
Michael Martin -
Kevin Yon - Yon Family Farms, Ridge Springs, SC
Compost/Digestate End Use
Wednesday, Nov 18 10:30 - 12:00
Once a food-based compost has been produced, are there good markets for it? Digestion processes also result in a by-product that needs a viable use as well. This session will explore effective development of value-added markets for compost and digestive, which helps then improve the overall economics of food recovery.
Moderator: Jorge Montezuma - NC DEQ
Speakers: Noel Lyons - McGill Environmental
Al Rattie - US Composting Council
Alan Johnson - Quasar
Dave Thornton - Clemson University