How COVID-19 is Impacting Our Food System
And How You Can Take Action
COVID-19 has upended our food system, and its effects have been felt along the entire supply chain. Forced closures, labor shortages, operational changes, social distancing, and other safety requirements have created new barriers to access and distribution – and have highlighted challenges that have been there all along.
Food security and recovery organizations on the front lines quickly adapted to this new reality, implementing new initiatives to rescue healthy food in danger of going to waste and delivering it to the increasing number of people struggling with food insecurity – all while evolving their own operations to ensure the safety of their employees and the people they serve. And funders have recognized the urgent need for support and are providing the capital necessary to scale and spread these solutions.
Now, as businesses around the country are ramping up their operations or reopening entirely, we're left with an unexpected opportunity – to learn from the struggles we've faced, build on the innovation we've seen, and create a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food system that's ready to meet the next big challenge it faces.
Learn About the Organizations Receiving Grants from the ReFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund here
What's Happening
ReFED'S COVID-19 U.S. Food System Review
What changes are occurring throughout the food system as a result of COVID-19? And what pandemic-related barriers still need to be overcome? Our review of food businesses, food recovery organizations, and others has answers.
Scaling recovery and relief
The ReFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund
The Solutions Fund is a streamlined, one-stop, rapid response vehicle delivering critical support to high-impact food waste organizations.
Learn and adapt
Better Together: Food System Best Practices for Navigating COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how food waste solution providers and food businesses must operate to safely do their work. Our weekly online discussion series is your chance to learn from others who are successfully adapting their operations and to share your own insights and stories.
Find Help
Explore Our List of Resources
From food recovery organizations rescuing produce from farms to food pantries distributing relief packages for those struggling to make ends meet, here’s a list of resources to connect you to the help you need.
Connect with ReFED
Organizations on the front lines are figuring out how to make it work despite limited resources. But sometimes they need an extra hand – whether it’s transportation for a surprise delivery, extra cold storage for a last-minute donation, people-power to pull it all together, and more. If your organization has a need, or if you’ve got something to offer – let us know, and we’ll do our best to make a connection with our contacts. And if you've got a story to share about the challenges you've overcome, we'd love to hear it.