single-use bags at the forefront of public conscious- ness, highlighting the role that food retailers play in addressing waste each time they visit. Following California’s example, eight states effective- ly ban either plastic or non-biodegradable single-use bags. In other states, counties and cities have taken the approach of imposing a charge for each plastic bag. While many countries have enacted plastic bag bans, the United States still has not moved to do so. COVID-19 has magnified social inequities among frontline food system workers The pandemic has exacerbated existing inequities along racial and income lines. Exposure and death rates have been especially high among communities of color compared with the overall population, partly because frontline workers disproportionately are people of col- or. These are the people who are the underpinnings of the food system, who work to harvest, process, dis- tribute and sell food to the U.S. market at the check- out counter in the grocery store. Job loss due to the pandemic also has had an outsize effect on workers in the service industry as restaurants, retail and service op- erations have closed, aggravating existing food access issues in communities where these workers live.
Food Retail (Cont’d from Page 9)
BestBrightHalfHOUSEtwo.qxp_Layout 1 9/12/18 4:28 PM Page 1 4. Growing awareness of the waste problem Along with food waste, consumers are increasingly interested in the global waste problem and are asking questions about who the biggest culprits are.Weekly trips to the grocery store put plastic packaging and Growing awareness of food retail’s role in creat- ing (or preventing) food waste Supermarkets produce 10 percent of food waste in the United States, and the industry is just beginning to step up in response to tackling the issue. A 2019 report by the Center for Biological Diversity on U.S. supermarkets’ path to zero waste rated only three of the top 10 retailers an “A,” meaning they scored high on three metrics: commitment to zero waste; tracking and transparency; and waste prevention measures. Nonprofit organizations and programs are partnering with food retail to reduce its food waste, while others are implementing their own internal programs. CPG dollar sales. Additionally, over half the growth in the CPG product category is attributed to sustainabili- ty-marketed products.Beyond this,consumers are more conscious of how their food is produced and the envi- ronmental and social impacts of producing it.
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