ASSEMBLY, No. 5327

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED JANUARY 29, 2021

 


 

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  LISA SWAIN

District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)

Assemblyman  RONALD S. DANCER

District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)

Assemblyman  DANIEL R. BENSON

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires DEP to update school food waste guidelines to include recommendations for how to better utilize food nearing best-by and expiration dates.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


An Act concerning food waste in K-12 schools and institutions of higher education and amending P.L.2017, c.210.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    Section 1 of P.L.2017, c.210 (C.13:1E-99.115) is amended to read as follows:

     1.    a. Within 90 days after the effective date of [this act] P.L.2017, c.210 (C.13:1E-99.115), the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, the Department of Health, and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, shall establish, or work with appropriate nonprofit organizations to establish, voluntary guidelines to encourage and facilitate the ability of K-12 schools and institutions of higher education to reduce, recover, and recycle food waste. 

     b.    The guidelines shall include, but need not be limited to:

     (1)   information on food waste generally, and the benefits of reducing, recovering, and recycling food waste;

     (2)   recommendations for how schools can incorporate this information in their curricula, and create programs and activities for the reduction, recovery, and recycling of food waste;

     (3)   recommendations for how schools can reduce the volume of surplus food they generate, including, but not necessarily limited to, conducting food audits, eliminating trays in cafeterias, enacting longer lunch periods, scheduling lunch periods after recess, establishing "offer versus serve" policies, and allowing students to keep uneaten food;

     (4)   guidance on how schools can create share tables in their cafeterias where students may return uneaten food that is still in its original packaging or peel for consumption by other students, resale, or donation;

     (5)   information on cost-effective, safe, and sanitary means by which schools may donate excess, unused, and edible food to food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, and other nonprofit organizations that distribute food to needy individuals; and

     (6)   information on how schools can recycle their food waste, including the creation of on-site composting programs.

     c.     The Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Education, and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education shall post the guidelines on their respective Internet websites.

     d.    Within 90 days after the effective date of P.L.    , c.   (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the

Department of Environmental Protection shall update the guidelines established pursuant to this section to include recommendations for how schools can better utilize foods nearing best-by and expiration dates to prevent food waste, including, but not limited to, paying greater attention to food labels and improving food purchasing, storage, and usage methods to ensure older food items are consumed prior to food items that were recently purchased.  The Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Education, and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education shall post the updated guidelines on their respective Internet websites

(cf: P.L.2017, c.210, s.1)

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to update the school food waste guidelines to include recommendations for how to minimize food waste within schools by increasing utilization of food nearing best-by and expiration dates.

     The State of New Jersey’s 2019 School Food Waste Guidelines stated that 4 to 10 percent of all food purchased by schools becomes pre-consumer waste.  Pre-consumer waste includes food items that have spoiled or become expired and, therefore, are required to be discarded before the food could be utilized.  The 2019 School Food Waste Guidelines mention the importance of improving food-handling techniques in order to limit pre-consumer food waste.  Updating the school food waste guidelines to include recommendations to increase the utilization of food nearing best-by and expiration dates will help to reduce pre-consumer food waste and ensure that food items are properly utilized prior to expiration.

     The current law requires the DEP, in consultation with other State agencies, to establish voluntary guidelines for K-12 schools and institutions of higher education to reduce, recover, and recycle food waste.  This bill would require the DEP’s school food waste guidelines to be updated to specifically include recommendations for how schools can better utilize foods nearing best-by and expiration dates to prevent food waste, including, but not necessarily limited to, paying greater attention to food labels and improving food purchasing, storage, and usage methods to ensure older food items are consumed prior to food items that were recently purchased.