Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** minneapolis restaurants are the…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** minneapolis restaurants are the second largest generators of food waste in minneapolis contributing 30% of the city's total food waste. Currently in minneapolis food waste that goes into the trash is sent to a landfill or to the incinerator. Food in landfills emits unavoidable methane and wastes the valuable nutrients that might be recovered through composting while burning wet organics like food at an incinerator is not energy efficient. Keeping food out of landfills and incinerators is important to reduce climate impacts. This project will utilize trusted messengers to empower food businesses to reduce their food waste creating an approach to working with minority-owned food businesses that can be replicated. Participating food businesses will receive convenient and accessible training and tailored one-on-one coaching sessions about a variety of food waste prevention techniques. The businesses will also receive compensation for their participation and support in accessing existing grant resources to implement these strategies. In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions we anticipate that participating businesses will save money in the long run through prevention techniques that help them waste less food. Empowering food businesses with a focus on bipoc and immigrant-owned businesses to implement effective food waste prevention strategies that divert and reduce commercial food waste will contribute to environmental sustainability and economic vitality in our minneapolis neighborhoods.