HR-2883-119
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sponsored by Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
What it does
This bill would establish an Office of Food Loss and Waste within the Department of Agriculture to research, track, and coordinate efforts to reduce food loss and waste, with a goal of cutting waste 50% by 2030 compared to 2016 levels. It would create several new grant programs and block grants for states, tribes, and local governments to fund food recovery infrastructure and public-private partnerships, establish regional coordinators, require federal contractors to report on food waste and donation efforts, and launch a national food waste education campaign.
Who benefits
Food recovery organizations (food banks, food rescue nonprofits) that would receive grants and technical support; state, local, and tribal governments receiving block grants; agricultural researchers and universities competing for prioritized research funding; upcycled food product manufacturers who gain promotional support; food-insecure communities that may see increased food redistribution; and federal contractors' compliance staff who gain clearer reporting requirements.
Who is hurt
Federal contractors, who face new mandatory (rather than encouraged) food donation and reporting requirements under the amended Federal Food Donation Act, incurring compliance costs. State and local governments receiving grants must provide 10-50% matching funds, which may strain smaller or rural budgets. Taxpayers bear the roughly $8.5 million per year in new authorized spending. Entities that do not participate in grant programs, such as smaller producers without resources to apply, may see fewer relative benefits despite outreach provisions intended to include them.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that an estimated 30-40% of the U.S. food supply goes to waste annually, representing significant lost economic value, wasted agricultural resources, and unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. They contend that centralizing coordination in a dedicated USDA office, paired with targeted grants and a public awareness campaign, would create measurable progress toward the established 2030 waste-reduction goal while also helping address food insecurity through expanded recovery infrastructure.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the bill creates multiple new offices, coordinator positions, and overlapping grant programs without clear evidence that a federal bureaucratic expansion is more effective than existing state and private-sector efforts already underway. They contend that converting federal contractors' food donation from encouraged to mandatory adds compliance burdens and reporting costs without demonstrated cost-benefit justification, and that matching fund requirements may exclude smaller, resource-limited communities the bill claims to help.
Constitutional context
Congress's authority to appropriate funds for USDA programs and to impose reporting conditions on federal contractors falls under the Spending Clause (Art. I, §8, cl. 1) and its power to set terms on federal contracts; no landmark case directly constrains this kind of voluntary grant-and-reporting scheme, as it does not compel private parties outside the federal contracting or grant relationship.
Checks and balances
The Secretary of Agriculture gains expanded administrative authority to create offices, award grants, and set contractor requirements, with Congress retaining oversight through required annual reports and the appropriations process.
Historical precedent
The 2020 interagency agreement between USDA, EPA, and FDA on food loss and waste, along with existing USDA composting and food waste reduction pilot programs under the 1994 Reorganization Act, provide a direct precedent for this bill's expanded coordination structure.