Ryan Begin, the leader of a company offering solutions to prevent food waste, will give the keynote presentation at Organic Produce Summit 2023, July 12-13.
The session by Begin, the founder of CEO of Divert Inc., is titled “Protecting the Value of Food: Learning to Value Food at All Stages of Its Lifecycle — from Seed to Wasted Food to Renewable Energy.”
“Food has become an undervalued resource in the U.S. with 40% of all food being thrown away, predominantly making its way to landfills,” Begin said in a news release. “More than ever before, we need to collectively educate and learn to value food at all points of its lifecycle — from how it was grown from a seed, to the people and transportation that went into bringing it to a store, and beyond.
“At OPS 2023, we’ll explore the energy and resources that go into getting produce on the shelves, the specific challenges that contribute to wasted food at scale, and how actionable data can enable us to better understand what’s happening upstream to drive new efficiencies and transform the food value chain,” he continued.
Founded in 2007, Divert works with more than 5,400 retail stores across the U.S., helping them reach sustainability goals, according to the release.
The company works with major retailers, including Ahold Delhaize, Albertsons, Target and others.
Divert has enabled individual stores to decrease wasted food and reduce shrink while having a positive impact on the retailer’s bottom line, the release said.
Divert removes 900 million pounds of carbon annually by preventing wasted food from reaching landfills and instead converting it into renewable energy, the release said. The company also helps retailers donate food to communities in need, with nearly 11 million pounds of food donated since 2018, the release said.
Registration to attend Organic Produce Summit 2023 is available online.
