SHC Food Waste RFA_FINAL DEC.pdf

COVID-19 Update: EPA is providing flexibilities to applicants experiencing challenges related to COVID-19. Please see the Flexibilities Available to Organizations Impacted by COVID-19 clause in Section IV of EPA’s Solicitation Clauses.

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Science Advisor, Policy and Engagement Office of Research and Development Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program

RESEARCH TO REDUCE CONSUMER FOOD WASTE

IN THE UNITED STATES

This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2022-STAR-E1

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.509

Solicitation Opening Date: December 10, 2021 Solicitation Closing Date: February 9, 2022: 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time

Table of Contents

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Synopsis of Program Award Information Eligibility Information Application Materials Agency Contacts

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Introduction

B. Background C. Authority and Regulations D. Specific Research Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes E. References F. Special Requirements G. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

II. AWARD INFORMATION

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses

B. Cost Sharing C. Other

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Grants.gov Submittal Requirements and Limited Exception Procedures B. Application Package Information C. Content and Form of Application Submission D. Submission Dates and Times E. Funding Restrictions F. Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Peer Review B. Relevancy Review C. Past Performance History Review D. Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS) Review E. Evaluation of the Scientific Data Management Plan F. Funding Decisions

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notices B. Disputes C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

For Updates and Additional Information (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities) Access Standard STAR Forms (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms) View research awarded under previous solicitations (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grant-areas)

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Synopsis of Program:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing cutting-edge transdisciplinary research (integrating diverse disciplines such as behavioral science, psychology, economics, public health, and sociology) to develop, apply, and test innovative and creative community-engaged approaches/methods to reduce household food waste through prevention (i.e., not redistribution) in the United States (U.S.) in real world settings. Prevention of household food waste means that the amount of food available for consumption in a household that is not ultimately eaten by the household is reduced. Applicants should propose a community-engaged research project that addresses at least one of the following three pathways1 to reduce household food waste through prevention:

1 Note the purpose of this solicitation is to support research to reduce household waste through prevention and does not include advocacy.

https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grant-areas https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grant-areas

1) Changing the U.S. food environment to discourage waste by consumers.

2) Strengthening consumers’ motivation, opportunity, and ability to reduce food waste.

3) Leveraging and applying research findings and technology to support consumers in food waste reduction.

This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. Human subjects research supported by the EPA is governed by EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 (Protection of Human Subjects). This includes the Common Rule at subpart A and prohibitions and additional protections for pregnant women and fetuses, nursing women, and children at subparts B, C, and D. Research meeting the regulatory definition of intentional exposure research found in subpart B is prohibited by that subpart in pregnant women, nursing women, and children. Research meeting the regulatory definition of observational research found in subparts C and D is subject to the additional protections found in those subparts for pregnant women and fetuses (subpart C) and children (subpart D). All applications must include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS, as described in Section IV.C.6.c of this solicitation), and if the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.D and V.F of this solicitation.

Guidance and training for investigators conducting EPA-funded research involving human subjects may be obtained here:

https://www.epa.gov/osa/basic-information-about-human-subjects-research-0 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title40/40cfr26_main_02.tpl

Award Information:

Anticipated Type of Award: Grant Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately two awards Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $1.5 million total for all awards Potential Funding per Award: Up to a total of $750,000 per award, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of three years. Cost-sharing is not required. Applications with budgets exceeding the total award limits will not be considered.

Eligibility Information:

Public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, and hospitals located in the U.S. and its territories or possessions; state and local governments; Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments; and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. See full announcement for more details.

Application Materials:

To apply under this solicitation, use the application package available at Grants.gov (for further submission information see Section IV.F. “Submission Instructions and other Submission Requirements”). Note: With the exception of the current and pending support form (available at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-https://www.epa.gov/osa/basic-information-about-human-subjects-research-0 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title40/40cfr26_main_02.tpl https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms forms), all necessary forms are included in the electronic application package. Make sure to include the current and pending support form in your Grants.gov submission.

If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, you need to allow approximately one month to complete the registration process. Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization have a DUNS number and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more.

Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline. This registration, and electronic submission of your application, must be performed by an authorized representative of your organization.

If you do not have the appropriate internet access to utilize the Grants.gov application submission process for this solicitation, see Section IV.A below for additional guidance and instructions.

Agency Contacts:

Technical Contact: Intaek Hahn: phone: 202-564-4377; email: hahn.intaek@epa.gov Eligibility Contact: Ron Josephson; phone: 202-564-7823; email: josephson.ron@epa.gov Electronic Submissions Contact: Debra M. Jones; phone: 202-564-7839; email:

jones.debram@epa.gov

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Introduction

One of the high-priority research areas identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) and Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) is food waste (food that is produced for human consumption but not ultimately consumed by humans) and its associated environmental impacts. Sustainable management of food is a systematic approach that seeks to reduce wasted food and its associated environmental impacts (EPA OLEM: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food; 2018 Facts and Figures Fact Sheet). Food waste is a major global environmental, social, and economic challenge (EPA ORD: https://www.epa.gov/land-research/food-waste-research).

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the amount of food available to U.S.

consumers is far greater than the amount of food they consume. In 2010, approximately 3,796 to 4,000 calories were available per capita per day, compared to 2,044 calories consumed per capita per day [1, 2, 3, 4].2 This indicates that significant food waste is an outcome of the U.S. food system. The U.S. food supply chain loses and wastes3 an estimated 73 to 152 million metric tons

2 Data on food availability come from USDA’s Food Availability Data Series, and data on consumption come from USDA’s National Health and Nutrition Survey, What We Eat in America.

3 Generally, studies define “food loss” as food that is not consumed due to unintentional limitations in production or supply. For example, food might be left unharvested or unutilized due to weather, low market demand, or failures in https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms mailto:hahn.intaek@epa.gov mailto:josephson.ron@epa.gov mailto:jones.debram@epa.gov https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2021-01/documents/2018_ff_fact_sheet_dec_2020_fnl_508.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2021-01/documents/2018_ff_fact_sheet_dec_2020_fnl_508.pdf https://www.epa.gov/land-research/food-waste-research of food per year, or 223 to 468 kg per person per year [5, 6, 7]. The consumer level, defined as food waste at home and away from home (at restaurants and other food service locations), accounts for the largest share—roughly one half—of total U.S. food loss and waste across the food supply chain [5, 6, 8, 9, 10]. Estimates of U.S. consumer level food waste range from 34 to 57 million metric tons per year, equivalent to 110 to 188 kg per person per year, and households account for the majority of this food waste [5, 6, 8, 9, 10].

Reducing food waste could make significant contributions in preventing and reducing air, water, and land pollution and anthropogenic climate change. Food production consumes significant amounts of environmental and economic resources (land, water, energy, fertilizers, etc.) and may result in environmental damages such as land and water contamination from excess fertilizers or pesticides and emissions of greenhouse gases. Hence, food waste represents a significant loss of environmental and economic resources. In the U.S., food lost or wasted during the retail and consumption stages uses approximately one-third of all resources of the food system [11]. Food waste accounted for 5% of energy use, 34% of blue water use, 34% of greenhouse gas emissions, 31% of land use, and 35% of fertilizer use related to an individual’s food-related resource consumption [11]. Furthermore, according to the 2018 EPA Wasted Food Report, about 56% of food waste was buried in landfills [12]. EPA estimated that in the U.S. in 2018, more food was sent to landfills than any other single material in our everyday trash [13]. When food is deposited in a landfill and decomposes, the byproducts of that decomposition process are methane and carbon dioxide. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat and contributing to climate change, and 20% of total U.S. methane emissions come from landfills. Because methane is short-lived compared to carbon dioxide (CO2), achieving significant reductions would have a rapid and significant effect on atmospheric warming potential [14]. Food waste at consumer and retail levels in the U.S. account for more than 260 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) per year, equivalent to the annual emissions of 66 coal-fired power plants [15].4

Recognizing the critical importance of reducing food waste, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and EPA announced the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction goal, the first-ever domestic goal to reduce food loss and waste [16]. The goal seeks to cut food loss and waste in half by the year 2030. By acting on this goal, the U.S. can reduce climate and environmental impacts associated with food loss and waste while improving food security and saving money for families and businesses. This goal is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a wide-ranging resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in October 2015 [17]. Nations representing roughly half the world’s population have adopted a similar food waste reduction target [18]. Research and development of new science-based solutions to the food waste problem are essential to meeting these goals [19].

Achieving the EPA and USDA goal of halving U.S. food waste would conserve resources, reduce pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The maximum potential savings from storage, transportation, or processing. The term “food waste” generally refers to food that is not consumed due to inefficiency or choice at the retail and consumer stage.

4 Equivalent calculated with EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. Last updated March 2021.

https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator halving U.S. retail and consumption stage food loss and waste annually are estimated to be 427,000 km2 (106 million acres) of agricultural land, 1,200 trillion L (317 billion gallons) of blue water, 337,000 million kg (743 billion pounds) of phosphorous fertilizer, 577 million gigajoules (160 billion kWh) of energy, and 88 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) [15].

In 2020, the National Academies of Science (NAS) published a report titled “A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level”, including a chapter titled “A Research Agenda for Improving Interventions to Reduce Food Waste and Their Implementation” [20]. The NAS report lists three major pathways to reduce consumer food waste:

3) Leveraging and applying research findings and technology to support consumers in food waste reduction.

EPA, as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is asking the scientific community to propose cutting-edge transdisciplinary research (integrating diverse disciplines such as behavioral science, psychology, economics, public health, and sociology) to develop, apply, and test innovative and creative community-engaged approaches/methods (interventions) to reduce household food waste through prevention (i.e., not redistribution) in the U.S. in real world (i.e., not laboratory) settings. Prevention of household food waste means that the amount of food available for consumption in a household that is not ultimately eaten by the household is reduced. Applicants should propose a community-engaged research project that addresses at least one of the three major pathways identified above to reduce household food waste through prevention. Projects should build upon existing research where available and include partnerships with state, local, community, or private entities with the ability to change the food environment (e.g., supermarkets or food manufacturers) where possible.

The STAR Program’s goal is to stimulate and support scientific and engineering research that advances EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. It is a competitive, peer-reviewed, extramural research program that provides access to the nation’s best scientists and engineers in academic and other nonprofit research institutions. STAR funds research on the environmental and public health effects of air quality, environmental changes, water quality and quantity, hazardous waste, toxic substances, and pesticides.

EPA recognizes that it is important to engage all available minds to address the environmental challenges the Nation faces. At the same time, EPA seeks to expand the environmental conversation by including members of communities which may have not previously participated in such dialogues to participate in EPA programs. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants identified in Section III, including minority serving institutions (MSIs), to apply under this opportunity.

For purposes of this solicitation, the following are considered MSIs:

1. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1061(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Historically Black Colleges and Universities;

2. Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059c(b)(3) and (d)(1)). A list of these schools can be found at American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities;

3. Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1101a(a)(5)). A list of these schools can be found at Hispanic-Serving Institutions;

4. Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; (AANAPISIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059g(b)(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; and

5. Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act of 2008, 20 U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6). A list of these schools can be found at Predominately Black Institutions.

B. Background

The 2020 NAS report titled “A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level” recommended that the federal government:

1. Invest in research and pilot studies that are adequately designed to evaluate interventions for reducing consumer-level food waste.

2. Invest in training in intervention evaluation and implementation planning for appropriate staff of community-based organizations.

3. Conduct a national behavior change campaign [20].

This EPA STAR RFA responds to the first recommendation, providing crucial scientific understanding of the drivers of household food waste and evidence for effectiveness of science-based approaches/methods to prevent/reduce household food waste. Interventions may take place in households or in consumer-facing businesses with the ability to change the food environment (e.g., supermarkets) and ultimately reduce household food waste through prevention. This research will lay the groundwork for addressing the second and third recommendations from the NAS report.

Given the environmental impacts of food waste and that much of the waste is a result of behaviors by millions of consumers, research is needed to identify effective and innovative approaches and methods to help reduce household food waste. The NAS report suggests that identifying and understanding the drivers of consumer food waste will lead to developing, testing, and implementing successful approaches/methods to reduce food waste at the consumer level. The NAS report identified the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) framework as especially useful for identifying and analyzing individual behavioral drivers of food waste while also taking into account the importance of context and habit in driving behavior [20]. Consumers are most likely to act in a particular way when they are not only motivated to do so but also have https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/ https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XVkOWKMDORm53pvU0L8EPsrJC94&msa=0&ie=UTF8&t=m&z=3&source=embed&ll=40.58644586187277%2C-148.28228249999984 https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1wlIi3j7gtlNq_w-0NKAb2bF2VmY&ie=UTF&msa=0&ll=37.35160769312532%2C-96.17229800000001&z=4 the ability and opportunity to act on that motivation. Thus, reducing household food waste will require strategies that consider the interactions between consumers’ motivation to change behaviors and their ability and opportunity to change them through both reflective and automatic processes. The report identified eleven drivers of consumer food waste that show promise as the basis for intervention, but the lack of scientific research and knowledge left the report unable to prioritize which of the drivers most contributed to food waste [20]. The eleven drivers identified by the NAS report are presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Interactions between drivers of food waste at the consumer level and the elements of the MOA framework [20].

Summative Drivers of Consumer Food Waste: Food waste is driven by 1. consumers’ knowledge, skills, and tools; 2. consumers’ capacity to assess risks associated with food waste; 3.

consumers’ goals with respect to food and nutrition; 4. consumers’ recognition and monitoring of their food waste; 5. consumers’ psychological distance from food production and disposal; 6.

heterogeneity of consumers’ food preferences and diets; 7. the convenience or inconvenience of reducing food waste as part of daily activities; 8. marketing practices and tactics that shape consumers’ food behaviors; 9. psychosocial and identity-related norms related to food consumption and waste; 10. factors in the built environment (including in household and retail environments) and the food supply chain; and 11. policies and regulations at all levels of government.

There is an urgent need to use this understanding of drivers of consumer food waste to identify effective and efficient intervention strategies. Existing research focuses primarily on increasing motivation rather than increasing opportunity or ability. Hence, more comprehensive research on developing effective intervention strategies for successful reduction of household food waste is the predominant need. The effectiveness of interventions needs to be scientifically evaluated. It is essential to integrate plans for implementation and evaluation into the process of designing an intervention.

This research will require integration of diverse disciplines (e.g., food science and nutrition, public health, behavioral economics, marketing, sociology, social psychology). To develop effective intervention(s), applicants should consider the major drivers for consumer food waste (see Figure 1) identified by the NAS Report [20]. Applicants are also recommended to refer to EPA’s Sustainable Management of Food resources including, but not limited to, “Food: Too Good to Waste Toolkit and Implementation Guide”, “Reducing Wasted Food At Home”, “Food Recovery Hierarchy”, and “Tools for Preventing and Diverting Wasted Food.”

C. Authority and Regulations

The authorities for this RFA and resulting awards are contained in the Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. 6981, Section 8001, the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7403, Section 103(b)(3), and the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1254, Section 104(b)(3).

For research with an international aspect, the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102(2)(F).

Note that a project’s focus is to consist of activities within the statutory terms of EPA’s financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed above. Generally, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of air pollution, water pollution, solid/hazardous waste pollution, toxic substances control or pesticide control depending on which statute(s) is listed above. Further note applications dealing with any aspect of or related to hydraulic fracking will not be funded by EPA through this program.

Additional applicable regulations include: 2 CFR Part 200, 2 CFR Part 1500, and 40 CFR Part 40 (Research and Demonstration Grants).

D. Specific Research Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes Note to applicant: The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work products related to an environmental goal or objective, that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective.

The activities to be funded under this solicitation support EPA’s Draft FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan (https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan). Awards made under this solicitation will support Goal 6: Safeguard and Revitalize Communities, Objective 6.2: Reduce Waste and https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-too-good-waste-implementation-guide-and-toolkit https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-too-good-waste-implementation-guide-and-toolkit https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/tools-preventing-and-diverting-wasted-food https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

Prevent Environmental Contamination, of the Draft Plan. All applications must be for projects that support the goal(s) and objective(s) identified above. The proposed research awards support the STAR Program’s goal of stimulating and supporting scientific and engineering research that advances EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment in the area of sustainable and healthy communities. Specifically, the research awards will address environmental problems caused by consumer food waste in the U.S. and will produce solutions, measures, and strategies for use by state, tribal, and local environmental programs, and communities to prevent and reduce consumer food waste in the U.S. The reduction of food waste may result in significant decreases in air, water, and land pollution as well as mitigate the negative effects of climate change.

EPA also requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements, https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements). Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to the goal(s) and objective(s) described above.

EPA, as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is asking the scientific community to propose cutting-edge transdisciplinary research (integrating diverse disciplines such as behavioral science, psychology, economics, public health, and sociology) to develop, apply, and test innovative and creative community-engaged approaches/methods (interventions) to reduce household food waste through prevention (i.e., not redistribution) in the United States in real world (i.e., not laboratory) settings. Prevention of household food waste means that the amount of food available for consumption in a household that is not ultimately eaten by the household is reduced.

Projects should build upon existing research where available and include partnerships with state, local, community, or private entities with the ability to change the food environment (e.g., supermarkets or food manufacturers) where possible. Research should examine how the approaches/methods (interventions) could be implemented effectively on community and larger scales.

Many interventions that have been studied have demonstrated significant efficacy (the extent to which an intervention produces the desired results under ideal circumstances) in reducing food waste at the consumer level in experimental settings. However, few of these promising interventions have been systematically evaluated for effectiveness in real-world and large-scale applications. Interventions that demonstrate high levels of both efficacy and effectiveness are needed to significantly reduce household food waste; hence, applicants should aim to study not only the intervention’s efficacy but also its effectiveness in their proposed research.

Applicants should propose a research project that addresses at least one of the following three pathways to reduce household food waste through prevention.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements

3) Leveraging and applying research findings and technology to support consumers in food waste reduction.

Applications that do not address at least one of the three research pathways listed above may not be evaluated as favorably as those that do. Applicants may focus their research on one or multiple pathways. Research projects addressing multiple pathways will not necessarily be rated more highly than those that only focus on one.

Applicants should consider all of the following research questions in developing and evaluating potentially effective intervention(s) to reduce household food waste in real world settings:

• How can current scientific understanding of drivers strengthen consumers’ motivation, opportunity, and ability to reduce food waste?

• What behaviors and/or population segments have the greatest potential to prevent household food waste?

• What changes in food environment (e.g., changes at supermarket or in-home kitchens) have the greatest potential to prevent household food waste?

• What are the important interactions between drivers, nutritional factors, and socioeconomic factors for U.S. consumers?

• How can effective interventions be designed at the community level?

o What are the behaviors and barriers, by community segments, to preventing food waste in households?

o What would be the key messages, materials, outlets, and messengers?

• How can promising interventions be implemented effectively at community scales and larger (i.e., regional, national) scales?

Expected Outputs:

Desired outputs include research tools employed (such as consumer product labels or print/electronic materials/media); strategy tables for each community/audience segment;

reports; presentations; and peer-reviewed journal publications describing improved understanding of what behaviors and interventions are effective for reducing food waste at the consumer level, what behavioral, social, and technical aspects influence their effectiveness, and how best to communicate these actions to various audience segments. Additionally, outputs that are readily transferable to practical application are also expected; these may include an evaluation and implementation guide, and outreach and communication materials such as sample communications plans.

Expected Outcomes:

EPA anticipates outcomes from this research to include improved understanding of consumer benefits and barriers to prevention of food waste, demonstrated effectiveness of interventions to reduce household food waste, improved methods to engage communities in food waste prevention behaviors, increased sharing of replicable research-supported solutions, and ultimately a reduction in food waste and its associated environmental impacts. The ultimate outcome would be reduction of food waste and its negative impacts on the environment.

Community Engagement Plan

A community engagement plan is required. See Section IV.C.6.e. Researchers are strongly encouraged to involve communities and/or community-based organizations in the formulation of research objectives. Applications should, at minimum, describe how: a) applicants will work in partnership with appropriate partners (states, tribes, academia, industry groups, non-profit organizations, associations, and local communities/community-based organizations) to effectively design and implement the proposed project; b) to the extent possible, coordinate with and/or complement other projects or activities being performed by others that will result in a greater positive impact; and c) demonstrate how the proposed project will address the needs and concerns of local communities including how community-based organizations (as defined below) and/or other appropriate parties will be engaged to enhance the project’s effectiveness and/or efficiency.

For the purpose of this announcement, a “community-based organization” generally means a nongovernmental organization that has demonstrated effectiveness as a representative of a community or a significant segment of a community and that helps members of that community obtain environmental, educational, or other social services. A community-based organization must be a nonprofit or not for profit corporation in good standing under State or Tribal law with authority to enter into binding legal agreements. The community-based organization need not be tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Code but may use documentation of tax-exempt status to demonstrate that it is a nonprofit.

Applicants may utilize a Community Engagement Research (CEnR) framework, defined as a collaborative process of research involving researchers and community representatives, to meet this requirement. The CEnR process of scientific inquiry requires that community members or other key community stakeholders be included in the identification of research problems and objectives and in the formulation of community-driven solutions. Although a range of levels of community involvement can be considered CEnR, CEnR is characterized by substantial community input and involvement in the project. The applicant will need to justify the level of community involvement that is proposed in the application. While not required, each applicant is encouraged to form a CEnR framework to meet the requirement for community involvement in the project that may include relevant community leaders and a committee or an advisory group.

The Community Engagement Plan should:

• Describe the type of collaboration/engagement proposed and what role it will play in the overall project including the degree of partner/community input or engagement in the conceptualization, hypothesis/question development, design, methods, analyses and implementation of the research.

• Describe how the collaboration/engagement will enhance the overall impact of the project such that the project results are useable by impacted communities. This includes the capacity of the project to translate scientific results into easily understandable outreach and education materials.

• Describe how activities of the project will be coordinated with related or complementary projects and studies.

• Describe how the collaboration/engagement will materialize during project performance.

Describe the partner(s)’ intent to participate in the proposed research including evidence of community support of an active partnership with a community engagement research committee, a community-based organization or advisory group members (e.g., letter(s) of intent or support from community leaders, state or local government agencies, non-government organizations, utility managers, site managers or operators, decision makers or policy planners). Any letters demonstrating evidence of collaboration and support should be included as part of section IV.C.10.a. Letters of Intent/Letters of Support.

Applicants that do not plan on collaborating/engaging with other groups in project performance must still include a Community Engagement Plan in their application describing how they will be able to effectively perform and complete the project without such collaboration/engagement.

Innovation and Sustainability

To the maximum extent practicable, research applications must embody innovation and sustainability. Innovation for the purposes of this RFA is defined as the process of making changes, a new method, custom or device. Innovative research can take the form of wholly new applications or applications that build on existing knowledge and approaches for new uses.

Research applications must include a discussion on how the proposed research is innovative (see Section IV.C.6.a). The goal of sustainability, derived from the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), is to “create and maintain conditions, under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.” Research applications must include a discussion on how the proposed research will seek sustainable solutions that protect the environment and strengthen our communities (see Section IV.C.6.a). Reviewers will draw from all of the above-mentioned innovation and sustainability definitions in the review/evaluation process of research applications (see Section V.A).

E. References

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food consumption and nutrient intakes. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-consumption-and-nutrient-intakes/ (2019).

2. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Archived nutrient availability tables. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-consumption-and-nutrient-intakes/ https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-consumption-and-nutrient-intakes/ https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/#Archived%20Nutrient%20Availability%20Table availability-per-capita-data-system/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/#Archived%20Nutrient%20Availability%20Table (2015).

3. Buzby, JC; Farah-Wells, H; Hyman, J. The estimated amount, value, and calories of postharvest food losses at the retail and consumer levels in the United States. USDA-ERS Economic Information Bulletin. (2014).

4. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food Security in the U.S.: Key Statistics & Graphics.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx (2021).

5. ReFED. Insights Engine Food Waste Monitor. https://insights-engine.refed.com/food-waste-monitor?view=overview&year=2019 (2021).

6. Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Characterization and management of food loss and waste in North America. Montreal, Canada. http://www3.cec.org/islandora/en/item/11772-characterization-and-management-food-loss-and-waste-in-north-america-en.pdf (2017).

7. Guo, X., J. Broeze, JJ. Groot, H. Axmann, and M. Vollebregt. A worldwide hotspot analysis on food loss and waste, associated greenhouse gas emissions, and protein losses. Sustainability 12: 7488. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187488 (2020).

8. Pagani, M., F. De Menna, TG. Johnson, and M. Vittuari. Impacts and costs of embodied and nutritional energy of food losses in the US food system: farming and processing (Part A).

Journal of Cleaner Production 244: 118730.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619336005 (2020).

9. Vittuari, M., M. Pagani, TG. Johnson, and F. De Menna. Impacts and costs of embodied and nutritional energy of food waste in the US food system: Distribution and consumption (Part B).

Journal of Cleaner Production 252: 119857.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619347274 (2020).

10. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Wasted food measurement methodology scoping memo. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020- 06/documents/food_measurement_methodology_scoping_memo-6-18-20.pdf (2020).

11. Birney, C., K. Franklin, T. Davidson, and M. Webber. An assessment of individual foodprints attributed to diets and food waste in the United States. Environmental Research Letters 12: 105008. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8494 (2017).

12. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA 2018 Wasted Food Report, Estimates of https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/#Archived%20Nutrient%20Availability%20Table https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/#Archived%20Nutrient%20Availability%20Table https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx https://insights-engine.refed.com/food-waste-monitor?view=overview&year=2019 https://insights-engine.refed.com/food-waste-monitor?view=overview&year=2019 http://www3.cec.org/islandora/en/item/11772-characterization-and-management-food-loss-and-waste-in-north-america-en.pdf http://www3.cec.org/islandora/en/item/11772-characterization-and-management-food-loss-and-waste-in-north-america-en.pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187488 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619336005 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619347274 https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-06/documents/food_measurement_methodology_scoping_memo-6-18-20.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-06/documents/food_measurement_methodology_scoping_memo-6-18-20.pdf https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8494 generation and management of wasted food in the United States in 2018, EPA 530-R-20-004.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/2018_wasted_food_report.pdf (2020).

13. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Advancing Sustainable Materials Management:

Facts and Figures Report. https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/advancing-sustainable-materials-management. (2020).

14. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Global Methane Initiative: Importance of Methane.

https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane. (2021).

15. Wood, SLR., M. Alam, and J. Dupras. Multiple pathways to more sustainable diets: Shifts in diet composition, caloric intake and food waste. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 3.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2019.00089 (2019).

16. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. United States 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal. https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal. (2015).

17. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda. (2015).

18. Flanagan, K., B. Lipinski, and L. Goodwin. SDG target 12.3 on food loss and waste: 2019 Progress report. Champions 12.3. https://champions123.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/champions-12-3-2019-progress-report.pdf (2019).

19. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Why Research Food Waste?

https://www.epa.gov/land-research/food-waste-research#why. (2021).

20. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level. Washington, DC: The Academies Press.

https://doi.org/10.17226/25876. (2020).

F. Special Requirements

It is EPA Policy to ensure that the results of EPA-funded extramural scientific research are accessible to the public to the greatest extent feasible consistent with applicable law; policies and Orders; the Agency’s mission; resource constraints; and U.S. national, homeland and economic security. This entails maximizing, at no charge, access by the public to peer-reviewed, scientific research journal publications or associated author manuscripts, and their underlying digital research data, created in whole or in part with EPA funds, while protecting personal privacy;

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/2018_wasted_food_report.pdf https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/advancing-sustainable-materials-management https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/advancing-sustainable-materials-management https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2019.00089 https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda https://champions123.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/champions-12-3-2019-progress-report.pdf https://champions123.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/champions-12-3-2019-progress-report.pdf https://www.epa.gov/land-research/food-waste-research#why https://doi.org/10.17226/25876 recognizing proprietary interests, confidential business information and intellectual property rights; and avoiding significant negative impact on intellectual property rights, innovation and U.S. competitiveness. EPA’s Policy for Increasing Access to Results of EPA-Funded Extramural Scientific Research may be accessed at: https://www.epa.gov/research/non-epa-researcher-requirements. Terms and conditions implementing this policy may be accessed at:

https://www.epa.gov/research/non-epa-researcher-requirements.

Applications submitted under this announcement shall include a Scientific Data Management Plan (SDMP) that addresses public access to EPA-funded scientific research data. See the SDMP clause in Section IV for details on the content of an SDMP. Applicants will also be asked to provide past performance information on whether journal publications or associated author manuscripts, and the associated underlying scientific research data and metadata, under prior assistance agreements were made publicly accessible. These items will be evaluated prior to award.

Reasonable, necessary and allocable costs for data management and public access as discussed in EPA’s Policy for Increasing Access to Results of EPA-Funded Extramural Scientific Research, may be included in extramural research applications and detailed in the budget justification described in Section IV.

Agency policy and ethical considerations prevent EPA technical staff and managers from providing applicants with information that may create an unfair competitive advantage.

Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise and/or provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs. EPA employees cannot endorse any particular application.

Multiple Investigator applications may be submitted as: (1) a single Lead Principal Investigator (PI) application with Co-PI(s) or (2) a Multiple PI application (with a single Contact PI). If you choose to submit a Multiple PI application, you must follow the specific instructions provided in Sections IV. and V. of this RFA. For further information, please see the EPA Implementation Plan for Policy on Multiple Principal Investigators (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grants-guidance-and-policies).

This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. All applications must include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS; described in Section IV.C.6.c of this solicitation). If the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.D and V.F of this solicitation.

Groups of two or more eligible applicants may choose to form a consortium and submit a single application for this assistance agreement. The application must identify which organization will be the recipient of the assistance agreement and which organizations(s) will be subawardees of the recipient.

https://www.epa.gov/research/non-epa-researcher-requirements

These awards may involve the collection of “Geospatial Information,” which includes information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, a Geographic Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data.

G. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Additional provisions that apply to sections III, IV, V, and VI of this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses. These provisions are important for applying to this solicitation and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please contact the EPA point of contact listed in this solicitation (usually in Section VII) to obtain the provisions.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

It is anticipated…