Oppy and Food Forward team up to cut down on food waste
Urban produce reclamation and upcycling organization Food Forward is touting a sustainability collaboration with grower, marketer and distributor Oppy aimed at curbing food waste and feeding those in need.
As Southern California’s largest independent produce reclamation and urban gleaning organization, Food Forward reallocates healthy fresh fruits and vegetables to food-insecure communities, minimizing food waste through partnerships with produce donors throughout the country, according to a news release. The Vancouver, British Columbia-based Oppy (The Oppenheimer Group) announced the partnership in its 2023 sustainability report.
In 2022, Food Forward saw produce donations increase 24% from the previous year through its dedicated partnerships with growers and the wholesale produce industry, according to the release. Food Forward said it has diverted over 300 million pounds of fruits and vegetables from landfills and into food insecure communities, free of charge, since its founding in 2009.
“Now in our 14th year, we have served as a leader in the food recovery sphere; establishing a sustainable operation both in scale and reach that has expanded to impact 12 Southern California counties, six neighboring states and tribal lands,” Food Forward founder and CEO Rick Nahmias said in the release. “Oppy’s expertise and commitment to reduce food waste was a natural alignment to continue to move the needle in our collective mission to eliminate food waste.”
Garland Perkins, Oppy’s senior manager of innovation and sustainability, led development of the newly formed partnership.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Food Forward which has supported Oppy in its effort to upcycle product,” Perkins said in the release. “This valuable partnership upholds one of our key sustainability focus areas: Ensuring we have solid repurposing programs in place to decrease our overall carbon footprint by mitigating waste.”
Food Forward’s refrigerated warehouse in Bell, Calif., is the hub for 250,000 pounds of daily donations from the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market, its surrounding district and from growers and shippers across the region and the country, providing a long-term sustainable solution for partners, according to the release.
More information about Food Forward’s wholesale recovery work and partnership opportunities is available at foodforward.org/produce-industry or by contacting wholesalerecovery@foodforward.org.
Related: Oppy outlines sustainability achievements in new report
