Food Waste and Food Justice Resources
We all see it, and we all do it.
In Albuquerque alone, people waste more than 112,000 tons of food each year. Nationally, 40 percent of all food in the U.S. is wasted.
Meanwhile, so many people go hungry. What is happening, why, and how do we make not just individual changes, but systemic changes in our food systems?
This week on New Mexico in Focus, we tackled all these issues. Panelists included Sandra West, the City of Albuquerque’s sustainable waste specialist; Amanda Rich, assistant director of Three Sisters Kitchen; and Anton Becker-Stumpf with the Southwest Organizing Project.
During the conversation, we talked about how food gets wasted in grocery stores, restaurants, and homes and why that’s an environmental, labor, and social justice problem. Panelists also spoke about solutions, cool ideas, and ways to do better. Here are some of the resources mentioned during the show:
Segment 1: “Understanding Food Waste and Food Justice in NM”
Food Waste and Rescue Potential in Albuquerque: https://www.cabq.gov/sustainability/documents/abq-calculator-two-pager.pdf
City of Albuquerque “Waste as Resources” homepage: https://cabq.gov/foodwaste
Southwest Organizing Project: https://www.swop.net
Project Feed the Hood on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectfeed.thehood
Three Sisters Kitchen: https://threesisterskitchen.org
“Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste,” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-10/food-waste-landfill-methane-10-8-23-final_508-compliant.pdf
The Refrigerator Demystified: https://www.cabq.gov/sustainability/documents/savethefood_fridgedemystified_5x7.pdf
Spring & Summer Produce Storage Guide: https://www.cabq.gov/sustainability/documents/savethefood_springsummerproducestorageguide_8-5×11.pdf
Roadrunner Food Bank: https://www.rrfb.org
Segment 2: “Exploring Solutions for Food Waste”
How Food Rescue Works (Roadrunner Food Bank): https://www.rrfb.org/learn/how-food-rescue-works
Food Rescue – US – Albuquerque: https://foodrescue.us/site/food-rescue-us-albuquerque
Find a Farmers’ Market in New Mexico: https://farmersmarketsnm.org/find-a-market
Wasted Food Scale, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/wasted-food-scale
UNM Sustainability Studies Program: New Mexico Food Systems Collaborative: https://sust.unm.edu/research/new-mexico-food-systems-collaborative.html
Little Green Bucket: https://littlegreenbucket.com
Soilutions: https://soilutions.net
FUSE Executive Fellowship Project working with Albuquerque on a city-wide composting program and a list of upcoming public feedback sessions: https://www.cabq.gov/sustainability/waste/waste-resources
Segment 3: “How Food Waste Contributes to Climate Change”
“Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste,” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-10/food-waste-landfill-methane-10-8-23-final_508-compliant.pdf
Downtown Growers’ Market: https://www.downtowngrowers.org
Drop-off compost sites in Albuquerque: https://cabq.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=2d67a95cc9bc456fb52a516292b61ae2&locale=en
Rio Grande Community Farm – Neighborhood Composting: https://riograndefarm.org/neighborhood-composting
Local places that accept kitchen scraps: https://www.nmcomposters.org/organics-drop-off
Bernalillo County Extension Master Composters: https://www.nmcomposters.org
Composting in the Desert: https://www.nmcomposters.org/_files/ugd/9ed432_2efaef3fb0404de2b74b646940ed51ac.pdf
Find a Farmers’ Market in New Mexico: https://farmersmarketsnm.org/find-a-market