How Detroit Combats Food Waste During the Pandemic

The Vegetarian Detroit Podcast: Episode 5

What happens to all the excess food from restaurants and food suppliers? Darraugh Collins, the Site Director and Founder of Food Rescue US’s Detroit Chapter talks to Jewell Dziendziel about how Detroit handled food waste during the pandemic. 30-40% of food is wasted in the U.S. From rescuing a full truckload of fresh broccoli to 325,000 pounds of purple potatoes, Food Rescue US Detroit partners with locals to ensure that food does not end up in landfills. Darraugh discusses how food that is rescued is first provided to people in need, secondly to farmers to feed their animals, and lastly, if it’s not good enough to eat, it’s composted.

When the pandemic hit, many restaurants, farmers, and suppliers were left with a surplus of food. The pandemic also heightened the already existing issue of access to healthy food in Detroit. Darraugh discusses how the highest quality and healthiest foods often times don’t get out to the neighborhoods of Detroit that lack full service grocery stores. Food Rescue US Detroit focuses on rescuing healthy food and getting these items to those areas that are food insecure.

Darraugh explains that eating healthy foods also helps protect the environment. When food waste goes into landfills, it creates methane gas and destroys the environment. This is also why we are encouraged to eat a plant based diet. Livestock also releases methane gas. Eating more plant based foods, decreases the production of animal based proteins, reducing methane gas as well as the resources used in production.

At the time of this post, you can catch Darraugh and her team every Friday at the TCF Center in Downtown Detroit. If you have a passion for community or just want to learn more about food waste in Detroit, this episode is for you. For more information on Food Rescue US Detroit, visit foodrescue.us. For more information on the organizations discussed in this episode, visit the links below.

Midtown Composting

Make Food Not Waste 

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