LOS ANGELES — California generates a lot of food waste, but it’s also always trying to figure out solutions to that problem.
Each week, thousands of pounds of unsold produce, still in good condition, get collected and repurposed by an organization called Food Forward for their food market recovery program. The collected produce is then distributed to food security partner organizations in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture said the state generates 5-6 billion tons of food waste annually, which breaks down into methane gas, a major contributor to climate change.
According to LA County Sanitation reports, Los Angeles County generates up to 1.9 million tons of food waste each year, while Ventura County generates 24,000 tons.
Food Forward said that in 2025, they recovered and repurposed over 600,000 pounds of food in their farmers market recovery program alone.