What ReFED does

ReFED is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 and headquartered (mailing address) in Chicago, Illinois, with a 100% remote operating model. Its mission is to reduce food loss and waste across the U.S. food supply chain through data-driven analysis, stakeholder convening, and capital deployment. ReFED serves five primary stakeholder groups: food businesses (retailers, foodservice operators, manufacturers), policymakers, funders and capital providers, solution providers, and consumers, with food businesses as the lead segment.

The organization's core product is the ReFED Insights Engine, an online data and analytics platform that aggregates more than 50 public and proprietary datasets, academic studies, industry papers, case studies, and expert interviews into six modules: Food Waste Monitor, Solutions Database (financial analysis of 40+ solutions), Impact Calculator, Solution Provider Directory, Capital Tracker, and Policy Finder. Complementing the platform, ReFED runs the U.S. Food Waste Pact (a voluntary collaborative initiative co-led with WWF, now at 30 signatory businesses), the Catalytic Grant Fund (deploying philanthropic capital to methane-reduction projects), the annual Food Waste Solutions Summit, the Food Waste Action Network, and the Food Waste Funder Circle.

ReFED's business model is a charitable one: it is funded through individual donations, foundation grants, corporate partnerships, and event revenue (ticket sales and sponsorships), with all outputs — including the Insights Engine, annual reports, and policy recommendations — distributed publicly at no cost. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; governance signals include a 4-Star Charity Navigator rating, a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, and a 1% for the Planet partnership. Leadership is led by Executive Director Dana Gunders, with additional senior roles spanning policy, capital and innovation, and engagement.

Name

ReFED

Legal name

ReFED, Inc.

Website

https://refed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ReFED is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the Insights Engine data platform and convenes the U.S. Food Waste Pact to help food businesses, policymakers, funders, and solution providers reduce U.S. food loss and waste.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Data and Analytics Platform

NAICS

Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Asset Recovery, Surplus & Decommissioning Services (EUAIANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC), Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

Keywords

• Food waste reduction
• Supply chain analytics
• Sustainability data platform
• Methane emissions reduction
• Nonprofit research

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Island City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID: 83-1579781), ReFED primarily funds its operations through individual donations, foundation grants, corporate partnerships, and event revenue including ticket sales and sponsorships. All revenue generated through services, events, and partnerships directly supports their charitable mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ReFED is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces data, insights, and tools to drive food loss and waste reduction across the U.S. food system. Its flagship product is the ReFED Insights Engine—an online platform aggregating data from 50+ sources into the Food Waste Monitor, Solutions Database, Impact Calculator, Capital Tracker, Solution Provider Directory, and Policy Finder. Complementing the platform, ReFED runs collaborative programs including the U.S. Food Waste Pact, the Catalytic Grant Fund, the Food Waste Solutions Summit, Business Services, the Food Waste Action Network, and the Food Waste Funder Circle.

Product overview

ReFED is a nonprofit organization working across the food system to reduce food loss and waste. The organization's primary product is the ReFED Insights Engine, an online data and analytics platform composed of multiple interconnected modules including the Food Waste Monitor, Solutions Database, Impact Calculator, Solution Provider Directory, Capital Tracker, and Policy Finder. These tools are designed to help stakeholders across the food system understand food waste data, evaluate solutions, calculate environmental impacts, find partners, and track funding. Beyond the Insights Engine platform, ReFED offers complementary programs and services including the U.S. Food Waste Pact collaborative initiative, Business Services for guiding companies, the Catalytic Grant Fund for funding innovation, the annual Food Waste Solutions Summit for industry collaboration, and the Food Waste Action Network and Food Waste Funder Circle for stakeholder engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Insights Engine: An online hub for data and insights about food waste built from more than 50 public and proprietary datasets, plus estimates and information from academic studies, industry papers, case studies, and expert interviews.
• U.S. Food Waste Pact
• Catalytic Grant Fund
• Food Waste Solutions Summit
• Food Waste Action Network
• Food Waste Funder Circle

Products and services

• ReFED Insights Engine
• U.S. Food Waste Pact
• Business Services
• Catalytic Grant Fund
• Food Waste Solutions Summit
• Food Waste Action Network
• Food Waste Funder Circle

Quantifiable outcome

• Full implementation of modeled food waste solutions would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 77 million metric tons of CO2e annually—nearly as much as taking 18 million gas-powered cars off the road
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The SpoonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026ReFED and The Spoon co-released a report on AI tools for food waste management, examining how AI is being deployed across the food system to reduce waste. The report found that adoption remains fragmented with technologies ranging from mature deployments to early-stage concepts.
• American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2025AHLA joined the U.S. Food Waste Pact as the 30th signatory organization. The lodging sector contributes nearly 10% of food waste in the U.S. foodservice sector, equivalent to two billion meals worth $17 billion in value. AHLA will share best practices with other Pact signatories under the 'Target, Measure, Act' framework. AHLA previously launched the Hotel Kitchen program with WWF in 2017 that achieved up to 38% food waste reductions in participating hotels.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReFED and WWF co-lead the U.S. Food Waste Pact, a voluntary collaborative initiative to reduce food waste across the food system. The Pact expanded to 30 signatory businesses by 2025, with pilot projects demonstrating food waste reductions averaging more than 50%.
• Zero Food Waste CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Zero Food Waste Coalition advocates for industry and government to implement standardized date labels—'BEST If Used By' for quality and 'USE By' for safety. ReFED supports date labeling standardization efforts as a key solution to reduce food waste.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WRAP: WRAP is a UK-based nonprofit that operates the Courtauld Commitment and provides data, guidance, and policy advocacy to reduce food waste across the UK supply chain. It is the most direct international analog to ReFED's data-driven, multi-stakeholder convening model.
• Feedback Global: Feedback is a UK-based environmental NGO focused on ending food waste at the systemic level through research, campaigning, and corporate engagement. It mirrors ReFED's combination of data, advocacy, and supply-chain engagement, making it a direct mission peer.
• Zero Food Waste Coalition: Zero Food Waste Coalition is a U.S. advocacy coalition advancing date labeling standardization and other food waste policies. It is both a partner and a peer to ReFED in food waste policy advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): NRDC is a major U.S. environmental advocacy organization with active work on food waste policy, date labeling, and supply-chain sustainability. It is a broader incumbent that competes with ReFED for policy influence and funder attention in the food waste space.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): WWF is a much larger global environmental nonprofit that co-leads the U.S. Food Waste Pact with ReFED. While broader in mission, WWF's food waste work overlaps directly with ReFED's and brings substantially greater scale and policy reach.
• EPA Sustainable Management of Food: The EPA's Sustainable Management of Food program is the U.S. federal government's primary food waste data, policy, and grant program. It competes with ReFED as a source of authoritative national food waste data and policy direction.

Emerging players

• Leanpath: Leanpath provides commercial food waste measurement and prevention technology for foodservice operators. It represents the commercial technology layer that competes with — and complements — ReFED's data and measurement work by generating proprietary operational data.
• Winnow: Winnow is a commercial AI-driven food waste analytics platform deployed in commercial kitchens globally. Like Leanpath, it sits in the commercial measurement layer adjacent to ReFED's aggregation and policy work.
• Food Recovery Network: Food Recovery Network is a U.S. nonprofit student-led network focused on food recovery and donation. It addresses the donation/diversion lever of food waste reduction that ReFED's Solutions Database also covers, representing a grassroots peer.

Others

• Feeding America: Feeding America is the largest U.S. hunger-relief nonprofit, operating a national food rescue and redistribution network. While its core mission is hunger relief rather than waste reduction, food waste diversion is integral to its operations and adjacent to ReFED's surplus-food work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/refed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refed-rethink-food-waste

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments14 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ReFED