U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(DALLAS – November 16, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Agency will partner with universities in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas to reduce food waste as part of the EPA’s national Food Recovery Challenge.

The goals of this voluntary program are to limit the 34 million tons of food wasted nationwide annually by reducing unnecessary consumption and increasing composting and donations to charity. By joining the Food Recovery Challenge, participating schools pledge to reduce food waste by five percent in one year.

The committed university partners include:

· University of Texas at Arlington
· University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
· Baylor University—Waco, Texas
· University of Houston
· University of Texas at Austin
· Rice University—Houston, Texas
· New Mexico State University, Las Cruces

The Food Recovery Challenge is part of the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program, which seeks to reduce the environmental impact of food and other widely-used everyday items through their entire life cycle.

The EPA Food Recovery Challenge