MONTEREY, CA - Food waste is an oft-discussed topic in our industry, and for good reason. As more companies work diligently to improve their own sustainability, they look to others for inspiration. At this year’s Organic Produce Summit, July 12–13, attendees will hear from Ryan Begin, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Divert, in a session titled “Protecting the Value of Food: Learning to Value Food at All Stages of Its Lifecycle—from Seed to Wasted Food to Renewable Energy.”

“Food has become an undervalued resource in the U.S. with 40 percent of all food being thrown away, predominantly making its way to landfills. More than ever before, we need to collectively educate and learn to value food at all points of its lifecycle—from how it was grown from a seed, to the people and transportation that went into bringing it to a store, and beyond,” said Begin. “At OPS 2023, we’ll explore the energy and resources that go into getting produce on the shelves, the specific challenges that contribute to wasted food at scale, and how actionable data can enable us to better understand what’s happening upstream to drive new efficiencies and transform the food value chain.”

Founded in 2007, Divert works with more than 5,400 retail stores across the United States, a press release explained, helping them reach their sustainability goals.

Through partnerships with major retailers like Ahold Delhaize, Albertsons, and Target, Divert has enabled individual stores to decrease wasted food and reduce shrink—all while having a positive impact on the retailer’s bottom line.

At the education session, Begin will detail how his company is offering an end-to-end solution for the supply chain, one that prevents waste by maximizing the freshness of food, recovers edible food to serve communities in need, and converts wasted food into renewable energy. Talk about a company that can do it all.

The press release went on to note that in addition to Begin’s keynote presentation, a series of educational sessions at OPS 2023 will focus on sustainability, the growing importance of CEA (controlled environment agriculture), new organic rules and regulations, the power of plants, and organic produce sales and changing consumer purchasing behavior in an era of inflation.

We for one can’t wait to hear more about this topic, and are excited to head down to Monterey, California, to learn all we can. To register for the event, click here.

As the event nears, stick with AndNowUKnow for the latest updates.

Organic Produce Summit