EPA Partners with Second Helpings Atlanta to Reduce Food Waste and Fight Hunger at Super Bowl LIII
Washington — Move over, Belichick-Brady. Super Bowl LIII had an even bigger save with the EPA-Second Helpings Atlanta partnership that prevented 17,044 pounds of food from going to waste.
This year, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Atlanta office worked closely with the non-profit food rescue organization Second Helpings Atlanta to recover surplus food from corporate events leading up to and including Super Bowl LIII held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In total, Second Helpings Atlanta rescued 17,044 pounds of food from Super Bowl LIII and distributed it to 21 partner agencies. The food collected was enough to provide 14,203 healthy meals to those in need in Atlanta.
“Food waste is the single largest type of waste thrown away in our household trash,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “EPA is proud to partner with Second Helpings Atlanta to make sure edible food doesn’t go to waste, but instead goes to those in need.”
"Preventing wasted food and providing food to people in need has significant social, financial and environmental benefits," said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker. "EPA’s successful coordination with the Atlanta Mercedes Benz Stadium and Second Helpings Atlanta shows how organizations and groups can partner towards meaningful food recovery contributions in a community."
"Second Helpings Atlanta is pleased to be working with the EPA Region 4 in Atlanta and appreciates the enthusiasm and commitment they bring to each food rescue opportunity. The impact we make in the community would not be possible without dedicated employees at the EPA. We look forward to expanding our relationship and continuing to do great things together in 2019," said Joe Labriola, Second Helpings Atlanta's Executive Director.
EPA is part of the Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative, a collaborative effort among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration to reduce food loss and waste through combined and agency-specific action. EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) has over 1,000 businesses, governments and organizations participating. In 2017, FRC participants prevented or diverted almost 648,000 tons of food from entering landfills or incinerators, saving participants up to $31.2 million in avoided landfill tipping fees. The Patriot’s Gillette Stadium is a FRC participant and in 2017 delivered all pre and post-consumer food waste to Jordan’s Farm in Rutland, Mass. to be converted to energy by an anaerobic digester. The LA Ram’s stadium, the LA Coliseum, is the largest NFL stadium to go zero waste and donates surplus food to the St. Francis Center in Los Angeles.
Second Helpings Atlanta (SHA) is a non-profit food rescue organization whose mission is to reduce hunger and food waste in the metro Atlanta area by rescuing healthy, surplus food and delivering it to partner agencies who feed the hungry every day. With a community of more than 450 volunteers, SHA rescued 1.64 million pounds of food in 2018, enough to provide more than 1.37 million nutritious meals that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill.
To learn more about Second Helpings Atlanta, visit www.secondhelpingsatlanta.org
For more information on EPA’s work in the Sustainable Management of Food, visit: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food