At the Blog | June 17, 2025
Using Data and Technology to Optimize Food Waste Prevention and Edible Food Recovery
By Susan Miller-Davis
Since 2017, Joint Venture’s Food Recovery Initiative has strengthened Santa Clara County’s food recovery ecosystem by coordinating local partners, managing the countywide food recovery program, and helping organizations safely redirect surplus food to those in need. Through data-driven analysis and strategic collaboration, the initiative reduces food waste and its environmental impacts while strengthening food security.
In May 2025, Susan Miller-Davis, Associate Director of Joint Venture’s Food Recovery Initiative, spoke at WasteExpo in Las Vegas, where she discussed Joint Venture’s work leveraging the data boon from California’s SB 1383 to chart Silicon Valley’s surplus food strategy.
The following post is adapted from her remarks.
In 2016, California took a bold step to fight climate change and food insecurity with the passage of SB 1383, California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy. This law aims to reduce organic waste in landfills and requires that 20% of surplus edible food be recovered for human consumption. Implementation has been phased, beginning with Tier 1 food generators like grocery stores and distributors in 2022, followed by Tier 2 generators, including restaurants, hotels, and schools, in 2024.
While surplus food originates with the generators, the majority of the work of recovery — collecting, transporting, and redistributing the surplus — falls to food recovery organizations, with capacity-building and enforcement responsibilities delegated to local governments. In Santa Clara County, these players are coordinated under the umbrella of the Santa Clara County Food Recovery Program, which Joint Venture manages.
Joint Venture ensures that state requirements are met and oversees everything from outreach and compliance to education, monitoring, and data management. Individual cities retain enforcement responsibilities, but the centralized program ensures consistency and efficiency across the region.
Significantly, the program also acts as a data hub. Joint Venture gathers and analyzes reports from food donors and recovery organizations, using the information to optimize operations, identify gaps, and refine strategy.
The scale of the problem — and the opportunity — is significant. Before SB 1383, CalRecycle estimates that 2.5 billion meals were landfilled annually in California. Since implementation began, local programs have recovered over 700 million meals, reaching 94% of the state’s 2025 target.
Harvesting the Data
SB 1383 did more than launch new food recovery requirements — it also ushered in a data boon that helps regions like Santa Clara County build smarter, more coordinated systems.
At Joint Venture, we use this information to create and continuously adapt a roadmap for the region’s sustainable management of surplus edible food, to identify solutions to address specific gaps, and to chart progress over time. Each charitable food agency and food donor has a slightly different experience of the need and solutions. The data has helped us create a shared backdrop and conversation to coalesce around a shared vision.
Key data sources include:
Statewide waste characterization studies. CalRecycle’s waste characterization studies analyze samples of landfill and dumpster waste, separating food from non-food materials. Since 2018, these studies have included estimates of potentially donatable food, offering insight into what kinds of food are being thrown away and by whom. The 2019 and 2021 studies expanded this analysis, focusing on 12 industry sectors (cafeterias, supermarkets, schools, event venues, and others) and five food types (meat, packaged, cooked, eggs/dairy, and vegetables). This level of detail provides regions with a clearer understanding of where food recovery opportunities lie.
County capacity studies (2022, 2024). SB 1383 requires counties to estimate the amount of edible food that mandated donors would send to landfills, and to compare that with the capacity food recovery organizations have for collection. These studies help forecast surplus volumes, identify capacity gaps, and uncover logistical barriers such as staffing, training, storage, and equipment shortages. They also shed light on prevention efforts, and into food generators’ willingness to donate and deliver surplus food.
Annual reporting and local outreach. Annual reporting, begun in 2022, provides direct data from food generators on recovery volumes and prevention measures. Complementing this, Joint Venture’s outreach — through surveys, technical assistance, and day-to-day collaboration — uncovers on-the-ground challenges and helps shape practical solutions.
Results and Trends: What the Data Is Telling Us
Thanks to reporting, surveys, and outreach, we’re seeing clear progress across Santa Clara County’s food recovery ecosystem.
Rising Donations, Expanding Capacity
Food recovery from major Tier 1 generators — supermarkets, wholesalers, and distributors — is steadily increasing. Wholesalers and distributors jumped from 1.9 to 2.7 million pounds donated, while supermarkets rose from 7.7 to 11.2 million pounds. This tracks with their role as top surplus generators — supermarkets alone account for nearly 60% of the county’s edible surplus.
Importantly, food recovery organizations (FROs) have managed so far to scale their capacity to keep up with these increases. According to capacity surveys, recovery infrastructure continues to grow just ahead of demand, which is critical for maintaining a sustainable recovery system. That said, FROs report structural funding challenges, which creates uncertainty about the sustainability of the food recovery system.
Prevention Practices in Action
We’re not just tracking what’s recovered — we’re also monitoring what’s prevented. Tier 1 generators are increasingly adopting practices to reduce surplus at the source, such as discounting food nearing expiration, improving inventory systems, and investing in better storage to extend shelf life. Some also offer surplus to employees, although this is more common among food service providers than supermarkets. Tier 2 generators, like hotels and healthcare facilities, face more constraints around storage and are less likely to offer surplus to employees.
Logistical Challenges
Food recovery logistics vary widely by generator type. Tier 1 businesses face fewer challenges related to staff training and food storage, mainly due to the higher proportion of packaged foods and grocery products they handle. Tier 2 generators face greater challenges in storage, equipment, and staff capacity — especially when handling donations that are unusually large, small, or sensitive (e.g., hot prepared foods or perishables).
What Gets Donated Most
Produce, bread, baked goods, and dry goods top the list of most frequently donated items. Meat and seafood, which require stricter handling, are donated less often.
Next Steps: Building for the Future
With SB 1383 still in its early years, we’re just beginning to understand the full scope of surplus food flows and the systems needed to manage them. As more data becomes available, we’ll be better equipped to track long-term trends and refine our data collection and modeling practices.
One clear priority is expanding local capacity through recovered food hubs — brick-and-mortar sites that safely receive, process, and distribute surplus food, particularly the more sensitive prepared foods. In response to input from food recovery organizations, we have begun planning and fundraising for hubs featuring 24/7 donation access, refrigeration and freezer storage, blast chillers, commercial kitchens, and connections to social services.
By reducing pressure on local nonprofits and enabling more efficient food recovery, these hubs will help turn surplus into sustenance — supporting communities while reducing emissions.
To learn more, download Making the Most of Surplus Food and the 2024 Update at jointventure.org.
About the Author
Susan Miller-Davis is Associate Director of the Food Recovery Initiative of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, where she leads research, analytic, and data management efforts. She has advised organizations including Zero Foodprint, Berkeley Food Network, and the James Beard Foundation’s Full Use Kitchen Initiative. Susan holds an MPA in Economics and Public Policy from Princeton, a BS from Cornell, and certificates in Food Studies from the University of the Pacific.
