On March 23, 2017, the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) held a public forum in Chiapas, Mexico to discuss the challenges and opportunities for reducing and managing food and organic waste streams in North America. The forum brought together citizens and stakeholders to engage with experts from academia, government, and the private sector to discuss issues, challenges and opportunities for reducing, recovering, diverting and processing food and organic waste. Sessions reviewed organic waste sources, types, and environmental impact, and discussed capacity in the three countries for reducing food waste and promoting organic waste recovery within North America.

Professor Ralph Martin participated remotely in one of the panels, entitled Food Waste: Reduction and Recovery Programs. According to the World Bank, up to one-third of the world’s food produced for human consumption is either lost during processing or wasted by consumers. North America stands out from other developed regions with the most food wasted per capita. The panel discussed opportunities and projects underway to enhance capacity for reducing the disposal of food waste in landfills by exploring opportunities to achieve food waste reduction and recovery within North America.