A Duke Climate Collaboration Symposium
January 22-23, 2026
Wasted and lost food is an urgent environmental, social, and economic concern. When food goes uneaten, the energy, water, and nutrients used to produce it are also wasted. And when food decomposes in landfills, it generates methane, a greenhouse gas that exacerbates climate change. In the U.S., food waste represents nearly $218 billion in lost revenue annually and contributes significantly to global climate emissions.
This two-day symposium will bring together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from the public and private sectors to explore pathways for reducing food waste and redesigning our food systems for greater sustainability, equity, and resilience.
Topics will include:
- The climate impact of food waste and loss across the supply chain
- Policies and innovations driving sustainable food system transitions
- Strategies for reducing food loss at the household and community level
- Business and economic perspectives on waste reduction and circularity
- Research gaps and collaboration opportunities across academia, industry, and government
Jan 22 - Keynote Talk and Networking Reception - Registration Required
Emily Broad Leib (Harvard Law School) will deliver a keynote address on Jan. 22 that is open to the Duke community and the public. A networking reception will follow.
The Food We Throw Away: What It Means for Climate, Communities, Policies, and the Law
Food waste is an urgent environmental, economic, and social problem. In the United States, discarded food is a leading contributor to methane emissions from landfills and wastes the energy, water, and other resources used to produce it. It also costs households and businesses billions of dollars each year—all while millions of people face food insecurity. In tackling this inefficiency, law and policy play a vital role. Laws can either facilitate food recovery and hunger mitigation, or they can act as perceived or actual barriers. They can provide incentives to scale up evidence-based approaches to food waste reduction or can serve as a disincentive, due to confusion or lack of awareness.
This lecture will lay out the current state of food waste in the U.S. and then focus on systems-level approaches to reduction using law and policy initiatives. We will examine recent policy developments and policy trends across the U.S., including federal efforts to coordinate food loss and waste reduction and strengthen food donation, as well as state trends in policies such as organic waste bans, food donation incentives, and improved date labeling rules. The talk will also place these developments in an international context, sharing findings from a global comparative food waste policy analysis and highlighting notable policy approaches from other countries around the world. Importantly, we will discuss where we are and where we need to go in our policy approaches to food waste reduction, as well as open questions and gaps that need to be addressed by researchers, policymakers, advocates, and the public.
About Emily Broad Leib
Emily Broad Leib is a Clinical Professor of Law, Director of Harvard Law School Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, and Founding Director of the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic. Working directly with clients and communities, Broad Leib champions community-led food system change, reduction in food waste, food access and food is medicine interventions, and equity and sustainability in food production.
Jan 23 - Researcher Workshop - Request to Attend
Faculty and staff at Duke and other universities, as well as other guests outside the university, will take part in a private workshop on Friday, Jan. 23, that will explore how to help consumers reduce food waste by examining behavioral, economic, and structural factors that shape household decisions. Panel discussions will examine common assumptions, equity considerations, and policy solutions to promote more sustainable consumption. Workshop participants will ideate about potential future research topics, with the goal of moving toward proposal development.
Interested in participating? Please contact Deborah Hill (Deborah.hill@duke.edu) with your request to attend. Note: students will only be invited on recommendation of a faculty research collaborator.
Panel: Consumer Food Waste - Barriers, Assumptions, and Possibilities
Experts will delve into the critical question: How do we help consumers think more carefully about avoiding food waste? As food waste becomes an increasingly pressing global issue, our panel will examine its implications for households and the choices consumers make. Is it true that low-income households are less likely to waste food, or does this assumption miss important factors? We’ll debate this and examine the structural challenges, such as access to resources and affordability, that often lead to higher food waste in economically disadvantaged communities. From behavioral change to policy solutions, this discussion will address both the consumer mindset and the societal barriers that impact food waste on a larger scale.
Panelists
Panel: The Business Connection - financial, social, and environmentally sustainable solutions
We’ll explore how businesses can meaningfully reduce food waste while improving profitability, resilience, and climate performance. Where along the value chain are interventions most material, and how can companies move from diversion to true waste prevention through smarter procurement, product design, AI-enabled shelf-life tracking, and logistics? What business models – such as secondary markets, upcycling, or data-driven forecasting – have proven scalable, and what barriers remain? We’ll explore how current federal and state policies shape incentives and whether emerging tools like extended producer responsibility or mandatory waste reporting could accelerate change. How do opportunities and constraints differ for rural producers versus urban retailers and foodservice operations? How can companies quantify food loss and waste within Scope 3 reporting and ensure that circular solutions also deliver genuine environmental and social benefits? We also consider the impact of food packaging to shelf life, but also plastic waste generation and microplastic contamination. Panelists will identify practical research and policy priorities to bridge the gap between commitment and measurable impact.
Panelists
Panel: Harnessing humanistic insight to solve household food waste
We’ll explore the complex, multifaceted nature of food waste and its broader implications. Rather than just focusing on the logistical challenges, we’ll ask: What does food waste really mean for our society, our climate, and our values? This session will delve deeper into the philosophical dimensions of food waste, examining its climate implications and considering the narratives that remain unaddressed. How can we leverage insights from the humanities to reshape our approach to climate change? We’ll also examine how rural and urban beliefs and behaviors around food waste differ, and how decision science, ethics, and humanistic approaches can help us align individual and societal actions to reduce waste. This panel will challenge us to rethink our values, behaviors, and the societal structures that shape our food systems, offering a fresh perspective on how to craft policies for sustainable change. What kinds of research products would make a difference in this space?
Panelists
Panel: Examining split focus thinking - can (or should) we solve organic waste and address food insecurity at the same time?
As we work toward reducing food waste, a critical question arises: Does diverting food at risk of being wasted for human consumption hinder our ability to reduce food waste and loss more in the first place? Are both goals compatible from a policy perspective? This panel will examine the complex relationship between food security initiatives, policies, and environmentally sustainable organic waste solutions. While efforts to redirect surplus food to those in need are vital, we’ll examine whether such practices distract from more systemic changes that could reduce food waste across the supply chain. As municipalities and states, like those with composting programs or California’s laws on date labels, push for sustainability, we’ll discuss whether these efforts might conflict with broader goals of reducing waste more efficiently. Can we balance the need for food security with the environmental imperative to minimize waste, or does one inadvertently undermine the other? As the U.S. targets a 30% reduction in food waste by 2030, we’ll assess the challenges of policymaking at various levels and whether we’re ready to make the necessary trade-offs.
Panelists
About the Event Series
The symposium is a part of the Duke Climate Collaboration Symposia series, designed to accelerate climate solutions by developing new collaborations among Duke scholars and external partners. Each symposium focuses on identifying opportunities for Duke University to make the most of its interdisciplinary expertise and convening power for meaningful impact on climate challenges.
This symposium is hosted by Duke University’s World Food Policy Center at the Sanford School of Public Policy. The series is funded by a gift from The Duke Endowment in support of the Duke Climate Commitment, which unites the university’s education, research, operations, and public service missions to address climate challenges. The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability manages the symposia series.