S. 1395 — NO TIME TO Waste Act);

This section defines 10 terms for purposes of the Act: (1) Administrator as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; (2) Commissioner as the Commissioner of Food and Drugs; (3) food as any raw, cooked, processed, or prepared substance, ice, beverage, or ingredient used or intended for human consumption; (4) food loss as food that does not reach a consumer due to issues in production, storage, processing, or distribution; (5) food recovery as the collection and redistribution of wholesome food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people; (6) food spoilage as a process rendering food undesirable or unacceptable for human consumption; (7) food waste as food intended for human consumption that goes unconsumed at retail or consumption for any reason; (8) Liaison as the Food Loss and Waste Reduction Liaison established under 7 U.S.C. 6924; (9) Secretary as the Secretary of Agriculture; and (10) upcycled food product as a product made from surplus, unmarketable, or byproduct food ingredients that otherwise would not go to human consumption, using verifiable supply chains with positive environmental impact.

This section establishes in the Department of Agriculture an Office of Food Loss and Waste responsible for (1) research on quantifying and reducing on-farm and supply chain food loss and food waste, including new technologies and greenhouse gas impacts; (2) annual reports to Congress and the public on U.S. progress toward reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030 (from 2016 levels); (3) educational campaigns, tools, and resources; (4) tracking federal programs and developing model policies for state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments; (5) grant administration; and (6) other activities as directed. The section further directs the Secretary, in consultation with federal agencies, to form partnerships with regional institutions for research, data, education, and recommendations on food loss and waste prevention, reduction, and recovery. Additionally, the section requires the Office to establish a grant program to collect data on state and local food loss and waste policies, with eligible applicants including governments, government-nonprofit partnerships, or nonprofit consortia that provide a 10% non-federal match; projects are limited to three years and must supply the Office with rigorous impact data (e.g., quantified reductions, control group comparisons, economic benefits of recovery). After analysis, the Office must develop proven model policies for governments. The section authorizes $1.5 million annually for the Office for FY2026 through FY2030 and $2 million annually for the grant program for the same period (of which up to 4% may be retained for administrative costs).

This section establishes in the Department of Agriculture regional coordinators to partner with food producers, processors, distributors, and recovery organizations to facilitate food recovery, build capacity, provide technical support, and align with regional food business centers, with $1 million authorized to be appropriated. The section further directs the Secretary, as part of the existing program under 7 U.S.C. 7507(d) (which provides matching federal funds of up to 50% of costs for projects to harvest, process, package, or transport commodities donated by agricultural producers for emergency feeding organizations), to establish a block grant program—coordinated with specified USDA agencies and programs—for States and Indian Tribes to support food recovery infrastructure and distribution models (e.g., storage, processing equipment, temperature-controlled transport, technology, and personnel costs); States must distribute grants to food recovery organizations and local governments, with $2 million authorized for each of FY2026 through FY2030.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in collaboration with the EPA Administrator and FDA Commissioner, to implement a 2020 interagency agreement on food loss and waste; engage other federal agencies; consult private sector, agricultural producers, food industry, nonprofits, and food recovery organizations (with emphasis on smaller producers and food-insecure communities); host quarterly interagency meetings; and submit annual progress reports to Congress, with $1 million authorized for each of FY2026 through FY2030. The section amends the Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (42 U.S.C. 1792)—which requires the Federal Acquisition Regulation to include clauses in contracts exceeding $25,000 for food provision, service, sale, or related federal property leases mandating donation of excess, apparently wholesome food to nonprofits serving food-insecure individuals (with agencies exempt from costs/logistics and civil/criminal liability under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act)—to (1) require Federal Acquisition Regulation revision within 180 days of enactment (from 180 days after June 20, 2008); (2) change the clause from encouraging to requiring such donations; (3) require contractors to report to the executive agency on efforts to prevent/reduce food loss and waste (as defined in the enacting legislation), food waste under the contract, and food donated; and (4) require executive agencies to submit biennial reports to Congress on those matters. The section further directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize food loss and waste projects in grants awarded under (1) the critical agriculture research and extension program and (2) the inter-disciplinary engagement in animal systems program.

This section revises the composting and food waste reduction grant program by (1) expanding eligible applicants to State, local, municipal, or Tribal governments (from local or municipal governments); (2) requiring the Secretary to publish application guidance for resource-limited applicants—particularly for pilot projects reducing food loss and waste through non-composting means—and to accept applications for a duration sufficient for smaller and rural communities; and (3) authorizing matching funds for grants to include private funding or other revenue sources (in addition to funds provided through the grant). (As background, the program awards competitive grants for pilot projects to support the development and expansion of composting systems and food waste reduction initiatives to decrease landfill disposal.)

This section establishes a grant program, administered by the Secretary of Agriculture through the Office of Food Loss and Waste in collaboration with the EPA Administrator, to award grants to state, municipal, local, and Tribal governments for forming public-private partnerships committed to reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. Partnerships must include at least one nonprofit organization and one private entity from specified sectors (e.g., grocery, hospitality, restaurants, hospitals) and meet requirements to (1) provide frameworks, forums, and priority lists for action; (2) develop measurement methodologies; (3) collect data, establish baselines, monitor progress, and issue annual public reports; and (4) form working groups, with a 50% non-federal match required and coordination with regional coordinators as appropriate. The section authorizes $2 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030.

This section establishes a national food loss and waste education and public awareness campaign to be carried out by the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the EPA Administrator, through the liaison position and Office of Food Loss and Waste established under section 3 of the bill. The campaign must, at a minimum, (1) illustrate U.S. food waste volumes; (2) highlight food preservation and storage methods; (3) provide tips on food safety beyond "best if used by" or "use by" dates; (4) distinguish food freshness from safety; (5) teach composting; (6) develop materials for industry sectors (e.g., retail, food service), governments, schools, and organizations; (7) educate on upcycled food products and waste-preventing technologies; (8) include interactive elements; and (9) address food waste links to public health, insecurity, and climate change. The Secretary must prioritize population segmentation research, targeting, messaging strategies, and behavior-change evaluation; implement the campaign via community engagement (with locally tailored solutions) and national messaging; conduct pilot projects in selected communities (incorporating equity, behavioral science, and local coordination, assessed via waste audits); and perform ongoing waste audits comparing targeted and non-targeted communities. The section authorizes $2 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030.