The Fairfax Food Council’s cross-pollination meeting was a success! With over 55 attendees, this special event brought together the Urban Agriculture Work Group and the Food Access & Literacy Work Group to delve into the important topic of food waste diversion. Attendees heard from the following panel of experts: 

• Amanda Tindall, Compass Rose Restaurant & Bar; Urban Agriculture Work Group Co-Chair
• Gillian Kimura, Capital Area Food Bank; Food Access & Literacy Work Group Co-Chair 
• Kate Urbank, Food Rescue US – DC 
• Shaun Sawko, Fairfax County Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services 
• Ivy Nargiz, Compost Crew 
• Austin Gastrell, Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development 

Following the panel discussion, attendees entered breakout rooms to engage in dynamic conversations about innovative programmatic and policy solutions to reduce, rescue, and compost food waste and positively impact our community. Below are a few key takeaways: 

• Food waste reduction starts with education. 
  • Create opportunities for people to engage with food. This can be done via cooking demonstrations or tasting sessions. The tastier food is and the more familiar people are with food, the less likely they will be to waste it. 
• Food rescue could be expanded if guidelines/policies around gleaning at farmers markets and farms were standardized within the county and/or region. 
• Opportunities for commercial composting could be increased within Fairfax County if there were investments in composting infrastructure and education, and amendments to the Zoning code. 
  • Amendments to the Zoning Code are completed via public processes at a community level. 

Watch the recording of the cross-pollination meeting.

See more videos from the Fairfax Food Council.

For additional food waste diversion resources, see the list below.  

Food Waste Reduction

• Nutritional Education & Wellness | Capital Area Food Bank
• Food and Nutrition | Fairfax County Public Schools (fcps.edu)

Food Rescue

• Care to Share Toolkit (fairfaxcounty.gov)
• Food Rescue US - DC - food recovery network in the DC area
• Food Sharing | FCPS Get2Green

Composting

• Home - Compost Crew - good to grow
• Veteran Compost (co-located at Arcadia Farm)
• Northern Virginia Soil & Water Conservation District's DIY Compost Tumbler
• Hands On Harvest
• Composting | FCPS Get2Green