San Francisco Market reaches milestone of 7 million pounds of fresh produce recovered and donated

The SF Market, San Francisco’s original wholesale produce market, has reached a historic milestone in recovering and donating seven million pounds of surplus produce. The milestone represents produce saved since the program began in 2016 at the market, according to a news release.

The SF Market’s Food Recovery Program works with the 26 market merchants each weekday to recover surplus produce that merchants can’t sell for cosmetic or other reasons, the release said. The program recovers an average of 4,000 pounds of fruit, vegetables, and other food every day, ensuring this food stays out of the landfill and is distributed to food-insecure Bay Area residents via a network of community partners.

“We are deeply grateful to our community partners, merchants, and funders who support our work. None of what we do would be possible without them,” Carolyn Lasar, food recovery project manager at The SF Market, said in the release. Lasar has been instrumental in the success of the Food Recovery Program, helping to launch the program in 2016 and continuing to spearhead the Market’s food recovery efforts since then, the release said.

The SF Market’s Food Recovery Program is part of a larger, robust regional and national effort aimed at ensuring a reduction of food waste, according to the release. With the implementation of California’s SB 1383 last year - which mandates that food businesses donate surplus edible food rather than send it to compost or landfills - the Food Recovery Program was exceptionally well-positioned to implement the policy at The SF Market and serve as a model for others statewide, the release said. 

“We have been proud to support The SF Market’s food recovery program,” Alexa Kielty, residential zero waste senior coordinator at the San Francisco Environment Department, said in the release. “We are especially pleased to continue our partnership as we implement SB 1383 across the city. The Market’s food recovery program is a wonderful example and critical component of reaching San Francisco’s zero waste goals. The SF Market’s food recovery program has prevented an estimated equivalent of nearly 9,000 tons of CO2 emissions since its launch in 2016. By keeping food from being disposed of in landfills, we can eliminate additional methane emissions.”

In addition to achieving significant impact at the local level, The SF Market has been nationally recognized for their efforts by being named a U.S. Food Loss & Waste 2030 Champion by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the release said.