"The Missing Piece: Building the Data Foundation for Food Waste Solutions in Manufacturing"

Manufacturing is one of the largest blind spots in food waste research. It is responsible for substantial losses and cascading effects across the supply chain, however, it remains poorly understood and quantified. But that’s changing. Over the past year, LIDD partnered with ReFED on a first-of-its-kind research effort to quantify and characterize food waste across diverse manufacturing settings and food types. These findings will power critical updates to ReFED’s Insights Engine and ongoing analyses. This session will explore what that data reveals, through two complementary perspectives on food loss and waste in manufacturing. Speakers will reflect both the on-the-ground realities and solution pathways: an upcycling company working to reintegrate surplus into the human food supply, and a prepared meals manufacturer sharing the operational challenges, constraints, and opportunities to act on waste within their facilities. Together, they will highlight what it takes to move from insight to action, and where the most promising opportunities lie. This session will be a case study in what’s possible when rigorous research and cross-sector collaboration point the way toward solutions that are actionable and built to scale.