Through the Iowa Food Waste Stakeholder Group entities, organizations, experts and individuals are coming together to collaboratively develop comprehensive strategies and recommendations to reduce food waste and divert it from Iowa landfills.

Mission Statement

The Iowa Food Waste Stakeholder Group is dedicated to advancing Iowa’s efforts in reducing food waste generation and utilizing excess food as a valuable resource through supporting program development, education and advocacy.

White Paper

In 2015, the group determined a white paper would be developed as a means to introduce where Iowa stands and how we can move our state to become a leader in food waste reduction and diversion efforts. In 2016, funding was granted from the Iowa Energy Center to fund paper development. The stakeholder group also collaborated with the Law School at Drake University for students to conduct research on existing laws and regulations regarding the handling, distribution, and disposal of food waste; additionally, coordination of the content was facilitated by Eat Greater Des Moines.

The result is “Food Waste in Iowa: Recommendations to Position Iowa as a Leader in Reduction and Recovery,” a 26-page report that outlines the six actions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Hierarchy and provides detailed suggestions for implementing food diversion tactics throughout Iowa communities.

Click to the right to open a downloadable PDF of the white paper. If you would like a hard copy, please contact Dan Nickey at dan.nickey@uni.edu.

Members

Aubrey Alvarez, Eat Greater Des Moines

Tom Anderson, Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Samuel Barrett, City of Waterloo

Kate Bartelt, Foth

John Bruce, Iowa Waste Exchange

Christine Collier, SCS Engineers

Levi DeVries, University of Iowa

Brent Dielema, SCS Engineers

Linda Gorkow, Hawkeye Area Community Action Program

Lea Hensel, Iowa Waste Reduction Center, University of Northern Iowa

Eric Holthaus, City of Cedar Rapids

Regenea Hurte, Iowa Food Bank Association

Dave Jackson, University of Iowa

Laurie Kroymann, University of Iowa Hospitals

Beth Mackenzie, University of Iowa

Derek Nelson, Kum & Go

Dan Nickey, Iowa Waste Reduction Center, University of Northern Iowa

Jeff Phillips, Barker Lemar

Julie Plummer, Iowa Waste Exchange

Barb Prather, Northeast Iowa Food Bank

Merry Rankin, Iowa State University

Adrienne Ricehill, Iowa Economic Development Authority

Karen Rodenkamp, Iowa State University

Jenny Trent, Iowa Waste Reduction Center, University of Northern Iowa

Margo Underwood, Underwood Consulting

Anna Vogel, Winnow

Pete Vogel, Quad Cities Food Rescue Partnership

Jane Wilch, City of Iowa City

Jennifer Zwagerman, Drake Agricultural Law Center, Drake University Law School

Meeting Minutes

January 2016 (Iowa City, IA)

April 2016 (Des Moines, IA)

January 2017 (Conference Call)

September 2017 (Des Moines, IA)

November 2017 (Conference Call)

May 2018 (Conference Call)

For more information about this group or to become a member, please contact Dan Nickey at daniel.nickey@uni.edu.