U.S. Food Waste Pact

What U.S. Food Waste Pact does

The U.S. Food Waste Pact is a national voluntary agreement launched at the end of 2023 to help U.S. food businesses measure and reduce food waste across the supply chain. It operates as a coalition initiative rather than a commercial entity, partnering with ReFED — which serves as implementing organization and fiscal sponsor — and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for operational support and subject-matter expertise. The Pact is hosted at foodwastepact.refed.org and provides a structured Target, Measure, Act framework, distributing open-source resources including an Employee Engagement Toolkit, a Low-Waste Events Toolkit, Whole Chain Case Studies (Yogurt and Ground Beef), and an annual Impact Report. It is not venture-backed, not publicly traded, and generates revenue only via undisclosed signatory fees or partner organizational funding.

The Pact serves 31 enterprise signatories spanning grocery retail (Walmart, Kroger, ALDI US, Albertsons, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Wawa, ADUSA), foodservice operators (Starbucks, Aramark, Compass Group, Sodexo, Guckenheimer, Sysco), restaurant chains (Chick-fil-A, CAVA), hospitality (Hilton, American Hotel & Lodging Association), and dairy/manufacturing (Schreiber Foods). Distribution occurs through direct signatory onboarding via the website, peer-to-peer referrals among sustainability executives, and industry partner networks. The go-to-market motion is community-led, with growth driven by onboarding new signatories and extending programming into more areas of the food system. Functional differentiation rests on the national voluntary agreement structure — going beyond commitment setting to drive measurable progress through collaboration and standardized measurement rather than working in isolation.

Name

U.S. Food Waste Pact

Legal name

U.S. Food Waste Pact

Website

https://usfoodwastepact.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The U.S. Food Waste Pact is a 2023 national voluntary agreement helping U.S. food businesses measure and reduce food waste via a Target, Measure, Act framework. It serves 31 enterprise signatories across retail, foodservice, hospitality, and manufacturing alongside core partners ReFED and WWF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability and Food Waste Reduction Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs) (EUAIAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Foodservice & Hospitality Waste Services (Non-hazardous, Back-of-house) (EUAIAGAE)

Keywords

• Food waste reduction
• Voluntary sustainability agreement
• Food supply chain collaboration
• Retail foodservice sustainability
• Industry coalition programs

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Signatory Membership/Fees: The Pact operates as a voluntary industry agreement. While specific membership fees are not publicly disclosed, businesses join as signatories to access programming, resources, peer collaboration, and pilot opportunities. Revenue generation model appears to involve signatory fees or organizational funding from partner organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The U.S. Food Waste Pact is a national voluntary agreement that helps U.S. food businesses set, measure, and achieve food waste reduction targets across the supply chain. It operates through a Target, Measure, Act framework and provides signatories with open-source toolkits (Employee Engagement Toolkit, Low-Waste Events Toolkit), case studies, annual impact reports, peer-learning sessions, and pilot programs. Signatories participate as members in a collaborative industry coalition implemented by nonprofit ReFED with support from the World Wildlife Fund.

Product overview

The U.S. Food Waste Pact is a national voluntary agreement platform that helps food businesses achieve waste reduction targets through a Target, Measure, Act framework. The Pact offers two primary toolkits—the Employee Engagement Toolkit and the Low-Waste Events Toolkit—along with Whole Chain Case Studies and annual Impact Reports. Signatories (31 businesses as of 2026) participate in collaborative programming focused on reducing food waste across the supply chain. The platform operates as a coalition rather than a software product, providing open-source resources, guidance, and collaborative frameworks rather than a technical software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employee Engagement Toolkit Open-source toolkit of materials that food businesses of all kinds can use to pilot their own employee engagement intervention project aimed at reducing food waste. Available for free download from the Pact's website.
• Low-Waste Events Toolkit Ongoing set of guides, checklists, and resources for event planners and venues to implement food waste reduction practices at events.
• Whole Chain Case Studies (Yogurt and Ground Beef) Case studies examining food waste reduction opportunities across the supply chain for specific product categories (Yogurt, Ground Beef), sharing insights from the Whole Chain project.
• U.S. Food Waste Pact 2025 Impact Report Annual impact report detailing the work the Pact and its signatories undertook during the prior year, including food waste reduction progress in retail and foodservice, and pilot summaries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Less food being wasted in retail and foodservice sectors (reported in 2025 Impact Report)

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ReFEDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReFED serves as the implementing organization for the U.S. Food Waste Pact. ReFED provides fiscal sponsorship, operational support, and expertise in food waste reduction data and analytics. The Pact is hosted on the RefED website (foodwastepact.refed.org) and references ReFED as a key partner organization.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWWF is listed as a key partner organization for the U.S. Food Waste Pact. WWF contributes expertise in food loss and waste reduction and environmental conservation. The partnership leverages WWF's global food practice experience to support the Pact's mission.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Champions 12.3: Coalition of leaders across the food system committed to halving food waste by 2030 (UN SDG 12.3). Comparable as a global, business-led voluntary coalition pursuing food waste reduction targets through measurement and action.
• ReFED: Nonprofit focused on reducing U.S. food waste through data, insights and partnerships. Serves as the Pact's implementing organization and operates a parallel coalition model with shared goals in food waste reduction.
• Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA): U.S. industry coalition co-founded by FMI, GMA and NRA to reduce food waste across the supply chain. Directly comparable as a U.S.-based voluntary industry agreement convening food businesses on food waste reduction.

Emerging players

• Leanpath: Provider of automated food waste measurement and analytics technology for foodservice operators. Comparable as a participant in the food waste measurement ecosystem that Pact signatories rely on, though product-based rather than coalition-based.
• Winnow Solutions: Technology company helping commercial kitchens measure and reduce food waste using AI and connected scales. Comparable as a measurement-and-action tool provider for the same foodservice signatories the Pact serves.
• Too Good To Go: Marketplace app connecting consumers with surplus food from restaurants and retailers to reduce food waste. Comparable as a high-profile food waste reduction initiative operating across retail and foodservice segments.

Broad incumbents

• WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme): UK-based charity working on food waste, recycling and resource efficiency, originator of the Courtauld Commitment voluntary agreements with the food industry. Highly comparable as an established voluntary-agreement model for food waste reduction that the U.S. Pact resembles.
• FMI – The Food Industry Association: Trade association for the U.S. food retail industry. Comparable as an industry convener that aggregates food retailers (including several Pact signatories) on shared initiatives, including the Food Waste Reduction Alliance.
• National Restaurant Association: Largest U.S. foodservice trade association representing restaurant operators. Comparable as an industry association whose member base overlaps with Pact signatories (CAVA, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks) on sustainability programming.

Others

• World Resources Institute (WRI) Food Loss and Waste Protocol: International research organization that publishes the Food Loss and Waste (FLW) Standard used globally for measuring food waste. Comparable as a methodology-setting organization whose measurement frameworks the Pact's Target-Measure-Act approach aligns with.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about U.S. Food Waste Pact