A charitable organization located in Los Angeles is assisting in the redistribution of perishable produce to places across the United States that have a greater demand for fresh fruits and vegetables.
The ability of rural or food-desert-based populations to purchase fresh produce has been significantly hampered as a result of a combination of inflationary government fiscal policy and the centrally-planned reaction to COVID-19…
Since 2009, Food Forward has diverted over 250 million pounds of food from landfills and provided over a billion servings of fresh produce to communities who are struggling with a lack of access to adequate nutrition…
Food Forward, which has its headquarters in Southern California, has conquered the logistical difficulty of rerouting produce that was about to be thrown away to communities who have a need for it.
Because Southern California is both the greatest exporter and importer of produce in the country, the region is in an advantageous position.
From its refrigerated food distribution hub in south east Los Angeles, the organization works with 350 direct partners to coordinate food donations.
These donations have been distributed to 12 counties in California, six other states, and two tribal nations as of this point.
According to CEO Rick Nahmias’s comments to Civileats, “We understood processes well enough, we understood efficiency, we understood the network, and we understood how food flows around the Los Angeles area, the contiguous county, and the region.”
We all feel as though the previous ten years of Food Forward have been a dress rehearsal for the pandemic.
Food Forward believes that they are beginning to gain control of the demand for fresh produce rather than simply reacting to it in challenging or urgent situations as a result of the pandemic’s centrally controlled pandemonium.
In this line of employment, there are approximately the same number of challenges that a CEO might bear.
The fact that the food’s shelf life is frequently only a matter of days is among the most significant of these issues.
Nahmias attributes his team’s success to their nimbleness and exceptional reactivity, which led to their win of the 2018 California non-profit of the year award.
Because they run such an efficient operation, they are able to redistribute 10 pounds of produce from restaurants, grocery stores, or farms for every dollar that is donated to them.
This food is then delivered to communities that do not often have the opportunity to purchase fresh produce such as tomatoes or romaine lettuce.
Keeping perishable food away from landfills cuts down on the emissions of methane gas that result from its decomposition. After around 10 years, this results in a smaller carbon footprint for the United States.