SILVER SPRING, MD. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration announced a new partnership with the Food Waste Reduction Alliance (F.W.R.A.).

The partnership formalizes industry education and outreach efforts with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Food Marketing Institute and the National Restaurant Association, the three founding F.W.R.A. members. The trade groups will work with the federal agencies to support research, community investments, education and outreach, voluntary programs, tool development, technical assistance and policy discussion.

The F.D.A. announced the partnership at the 2019 Food Waste Summit, held Oct. 28-30 in San Francisco. At the event, federal officials also recognized U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 champions, a group of companies that have publicly committed to reducing food waste in their operations by 50% over the next 10 years. Participating companies include Ahold Delhaize, Campbell Soup Co., Conagra Brands, General Mills, Inc., Kellogg Co., PepsiCo, Inc. and Unilever P.L.C., among others.

 “The F.D.A. strongly supports our shared goal of reducing the amount of food that Americans waste through important efforts like today’s agreement,” said Ned Sharpless, acting F.D.A. commissioner. “The issues of food waste and food safety go hand in hand.”