NJ Agricultural Society Joins EPA Food Waste Program
The state group will partner with the EPA to expand food recovery efforts across the country.
Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Organic Food
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The New Jersey Agricultural Society has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Feed It Onward program to combat food waste. This initiative leverages the group's decades of experience in recovering surplus produce for those in need.
Why it matters
By scaling local recovery efforts, the partnership aims to reduce national food waste while improving access to fresh produce in food-insecure communities. The collaboration allows New Jersey to share its established logistical models with other states.
The New Jersey Agricultural Society brings 30 years of expertise in crop recovery to the partnership. The program relies on gleaning and specialized refrigerated storage to maintain produce quality before distribution.
The players
New Jersey Agricultural Society
This organization manages the Farmers Against Hunger program to recover and redistribute surplus produce.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This federal agency oversees national environmental regulations and leads the Feed It Onward waste reduction initiative.
Lee Zeldin
He serves as the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The details
The society's Farmers Against Hunger program acts as the primary vehicle for this effort, utilizing volunteers to collect surplus crops directly from farms. This produce is then inventoried at refrigerated facilities before being sent to churches and food banks.
Timeline
October 29, 2026: The EPA announced the partnership with the New Jersey Agricultural Society.
Culture Shift
This partnership marks a transition toward leveraging localized agricultural infrastructure to support the federal Feed It Onward program. It reflects a broader shift toward community-driven circular economies where food rescue is treated as a core component of sustainable agriculture.
Residents in the area may see an increase in fresh produce availability at local food banks and churches as the program scales up. This initiative relies on ongoing volunteer support for gleaning efforts at regional farms throughout the harvest season.
The takeaway
The program demonstrates how state-level agricultural expertise can be exported to address nationwide logistical hurdles in food distribution. Residents interested in supporting these efforts can check local volunteer opportunities for crop gleaning in their region.
Further reading
Learn more about local sustainable initiatives in our Organic Food section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WRNJ Radio.
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Do you believe local food recovery partnerships are an effective way to address community food waste?
