Nathan Frandino, Christopher Walljasper

CHICO, Calif. (Reuters). Despite rising fuel costs and uncertainties over who is responsible for food recovery, it was hard for small-scale food banks to enforce a California law requiring restaurant and grocery store owners to donate any food left over.

It has taken a long time for methane emission reductions from food scraps to be realized. This is a sign of the difficulties in curbing food waste.

California’s January law requires that all national retailers, such as Amazon.com Inc and Kroger (NYSE :), as well small grocery and convenience shops, donate any unsold food. They also have to redirect anything edible from the landfills, and make sure they compost anything not edible. With a state goal to recycle 20% of food edibles by 2025, it is expected that cities and counties will be charged with developing local plans.

California’s first law requires that food not be thrown away is unlike those in other states, which prohibit food from going to landfills. This effort is in line with the federal goal to reduce food waste by half by 2030.

According to CalRecyle, California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecyle), food waste accounts for a fifth of California’s climate-warming gas emissions from California dumps.

Rural counties have submitted more than 500 waivers to defer implementation of food waste management measures. They claim that they have inadequate composting infrastructure or are too small for the food items being donated.

The food banks are funded by private donations as well as some government aid. They were particularly stretched during the COVID-19 crisis when hunger rates rose sharply and food prices soared. They usually purchase bulk food to distribute to small food pantries that feed the hungry. [L1N2QA1UM]

Rural California has found it particularly difficult to implement the new rules. The North State Food Bank was ready for an influx in newly mandated donations. It became apparent that the enormous costs involved with picking up food over 8,000 miles (5,000,000 acres/20,720 kilometers) in six Northern California counties were prohibitive.

Tom Dearmore (director of community services, Butte County Community Action Agency), who houses the food bank, stated that he couldn’t transport the truck around town picking up sandwiches leftovers.

It is said that the more money we need to fuel our cars, the more food we will be able to buy. The facts are simple.

The challenges are compounded by record-breaking gasoline prices in the United States and food inflation worldwide following Russia’s February 24th invasion of Ukraine.

Butte County Community Action saw its fuel prices rise 40% in March compared to 2019. It also spent 58% more food. It spends 58% more on food than it gives away. The food bank purchases 90% of its food to give to food pantries in smaller towns and shelters for the homeless in the county that has one fifth of all families who are food insecure.

INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS

Food banks in larger metropolitan areas partner with Feeding America to sell unsold foods from regional and national supermarket chains.

Smaller grocery stores and regional food banks don’t have the technology to manage food waste. Michael Flood is the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s chief executive.

Flood stated, “It is going to require action.” Flood said that while smaller grocery shops may have offered food donations in the past, it may not have established a policy or plan for food donation.

Some plans are created by counties and towns to meet state requirements. This can lead to higher costs for retailers, who must comply with various state food waste regulations.

Raley’s Supermarkets has 250 locations in California, Nevada, Arizona. They have noticed that some cities are charging compost collection fees. Chelsea Minor is the corporate director of public relations. The company does not pay the fees even though the food waste is sent to private companies that turn it into methane gas.

CalRecycle, California’s state recycling agency is trying to offset some of these additional costs. Since 2018, CalRecycle has given out approximately $25 million to food banks to buy trucks and fridges that can handle more food donations. However, the demand is far greater than the state’s. California awarded grants worth $5 million last fall, even though it received $13 million of applications.

“It’s really incumbent upon the local government to figure out how they’re going to implement their system,” said Rachel Machi Wagoner, director of CalRecycle.

Butte County Community Action developed an app called 530 Food Rescue that links restaurants to food rescue volunteers. They can also collect donations from grocery stores.

A Panera Bread volunteer picked up baked goods that were no longer in use on Tuesday to take to the Torres Community Shelter to distribute to up to 140 guests who have been homeless.

Taylor Storey (executive director, True North Housing Alliance), who oversees the shelter, stated that “having enough food has always been a problem.” Given the dire state of our climate right now, food recovery and every bit helps.