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WHEREAS, 1 in every 5 Pittsburgh residents is food insecure, meaning they lack reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. Food insecurity is a major social determinant of health, and low income and people of color are especially vulnerable. For children, food insecurity poses long-lasting threats to physical and social health including increased likelihood of hospitalization, anemia, developmental impairments, behavioral problems, and difficulty in school; and
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WHEREAS, up to 40% of food in the United States is wasted, totaling over $218 billion. This does not only account for a loss of nutrients and calories, but also wastes time, energy, money, and water; and
WHEREAS, in 2019, Pittsburgh generated an estimated 89,000 tons of food waste with 34% of that food waste coming from residential sources; and
WHEREAS, around half of the materials going to Pittsburgh’s landfill are organic materials that could be diverted and recycled through composting. Composting promotes biological, ecological, planetary, and agricultural health and can help create green jobs and infrastructure when implemented large-scale or can be done individually by residents taking classes and composting at home; and
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh is committed to initiatives that contribute to food sustainability including: Zero Waste, OnePGH Resilience Strategy, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; and,
WHEREAS, the Natural Resources Defense Council has created the FOOD MATTERS REGIONAL INITIATIVE to help cities across the nation, including Pittsburgh, reduce their food waste; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh has valuable community partners whose critical work addresses food waste, including: Sustainable Pittsburgh, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, 412 Food Rescue, Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, AgRecycle, Grow Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Resources Council, Worm Return, Shadyside Worms, Zero Waste Wrangler, Allegheny County Health Department, Pittsburgh Garden Company, EAT Initiative, many urban farmers that help grow our food, chefs that help us get the most out of food, and many other partners.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize that we can all do our part not to waste food and to keep it out of the landfill and thank our community partners for their commitment to food sustainability;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby declares December Two Thousand Twenty as “Food Matters Month” here in our most livable City of Pittsburgh.