MA Food Policy Council Meeting

Agenda

MA Food Policy Council Meeting, Richard Cronin Building of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Room 108, Westborough

• Call to Order
• Acceptance of Minutes
• Officers Reports 
• Old Business:   
  • HIP update, Brittany Mangini, DTA SNAP Director
• Program:  Deep dive into food waste II - What actions can FPC members support? Food waste is one of the six MA FPC priorities discussed in January, 2017 and being revisited today:   Reduce food waste through state programs for farmers, restaurants, processors, schools and other institutions, and consumers.   A current focus is to support the Commercial Food Waste Ban by developing policies and programs to divert food waste from landfills. Support for donation programs, conversion of food waste to animal feed, composting, and the development of anaerobic digestion facilities are also priorities. As a result of the Commercial Organics Waste ban which took effect on Oct 1, 2014, fresh and perishable foods are being donated and rescued more frequently.  The ban is part of a comprehensive approach to drive investment to divert food material from disposal to higher value uses.  Food waste is the biggest portion of our trash.  Over the past year much progress has been made. 
• Facilitation:  John Majercak, President, Center for EcoTechnology,   Recycling Works Program, Northampton
• Gerard Kennedy, Director, Conservation & Technical Assistance, MDAR:  Food waste ban, opportunities and challenges:  new proposed regulations related to composting ​
• John Fischer, Branch Chief, Commercial Waste Reduction & Waste Planning, DEP:  Commercial Food Waste Ban:  Updated progress report including economic activity support by the ban, new opportunities and challenges in food waste management:  anaerobic digester facility capacity growth; the growth in fresh and perishable food donation; and a focus on up-front food waste reduction.
• Case Studies: 
  • Carolyn Brunis Luc, Director of Advancement, Daily Table, Boston
  • Ben Harvey, Vice President, EL Harvey and Sons, Food Depackaging Operation, Westborough
  • Garett DiStefano, Head of UMass Amherst’s Dining, Source Reduction Initiatives for Food Waste, Amherst
• New Business
  • Council member updates
• Public Comment
• Announcements 
  • September 21, 2018, MA Food Policy Council Meeting, 9:30 – 12:30, Richard Cronin Building of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Room 110, Westborough
  • November 1, 2018, MA Food Policy Council Meeting, 9:30am-12:30pm, Room 428, Boston State House, Boston MA   02133
• Adjournment