S. 1395 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Apr 9, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryReduces food loss and waste nationwide
This bill directs the USDA to lead a coordinated federal effort to cut down on food that never reaches people's tables. It creates an Office of Food Loss and Waste that would offer grants to states and tribes to build better systems for recovering and distributing food, while also launching a national education campaign to help the public understand the problem.
How it affects you
If you live in a state or community that receives these grants, you might see new programs pop up to redirect food that would otherwise be thrown away to people who need it. The education campaign aims to reach all Americans with information about food waste, though the direct impact depends on how your state and local government choose to use the available funding and support.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Apr 9, 2025)
New Opportunities for Technological Innovation, Mitigation, and Education To Overcome Waste Act or the NO TIME TO Waste Act
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reduce U.S. food loss and waste (FLW) through federal coordination, grants, and education.
Under the bill, food loss means the food that does not reach a consumer as a result of an issue in the production, storage, processing, or distribution phase. Food waste means that food intended for human consumption is unconsumed for any reason at the retail or consumption phase.
The bill requires USDA to collaborate with the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out a December, 17, 2020, agreement to coordinate federal efforts to cut FLW.
Further, USDA must establish an Office of Food Loss and Waste to support the existing role of the Food Loss and Waste Liaison. The office must also, among other things, establish
• a grant program to support collecting data on existing state and local FLW policies (and the office must use the data to establish model policies for state and local governments);
• a block grant program for states and Indian tribes to develop and support food recovery infrastructure and innovative food distribution models; and
• a grant program to incentivize state, municipal, local, and tribal governments to establish public-private partnerships that commit to reducing FLW by 50% by 2030.
The Office of Food Loss and Waste must also initiate a national FLW education and public awareness campaign.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 1395
A BILL
NO TIME TO Waste Act);
Sponsor: Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-DE) · Introduced Apr 9, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Apr 9, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”
Sections
Sections · 8
- Sec. 1Short titleNo change
- Sec. 2DefinitionsNo change
- Sec. 3Office of Food Loss and WasteNo change
- Sec. 4Improving coordination to prevent and reduce food loss and wasteNo change
- Sec. 5Strengthening government approach to food loss and wasteNo change
- Sec. 6Composting and food waste reduction programNo change
- Sec. 7Promoting the formation of public-private partnerships on food loss and wasteNo change
- Sec. 8Food loss and waste education and awareness campaignNo change