November 16, 2018 | Harrisburg, Pa. /PRNewswire/ — Forty percent of all food produced in America is discarded and 20 percent of all food bought is never eaten.
The effects of food waste are staggering – on the economy, it equates to about $218 billion of food lost each year; on the environment, food waste is the number one component found in America’s landfills; and on American families, each of us tosses approximately 300 pounds of food a year, adding up to as much as $2,200 worth of uneaten food that a family of four throws away.
And between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, three times as much food is wasted as at other times of the year! It is estimated that about 204 million pounds of turkey meat will get thrown away over this Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.
The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) suggests that frozen foods can be part of the solution to turning around the consumer food-waste trend and offers some specific tips for the upcoming holidays.
Dave Jones, VP Industry Initiatives, Kellogg Company, has been elected as Chairman of the Board. Jones has served on the Board of Directors since 2008. He served as Vice Chairman – Frozen from 2013-2016, as Secretary from 2016-2017 and Chairman-Elect from 2017-2018. Jones is also a member of the Honorable Order of Golden Penguins and Distinguished Order of Zerocrats.
Roger Robbe enjoyed a 30-year career in retail food management and wholesale food operations, merchandising, marketing, and corporate procurement. He began in the retail food industry in 1966 as a store manager for Kroger Company. In 1972, he started a 24-year career with SUPERVALU moving up the ranks as vice president, wholesale food procurement with direct responsibility for frozen and refrigerated foods. After retirement, Roger worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Foreign Agriculture Service in creating a Cold Chain Seminar in 20 Central and South American and 5 Asian countries. He also worked with organizations to create and execute USAID programs in retail operations in Africa and Ukraine. Roger was inducted into the Distinguished Order of Zerocrats in 1992 and elected chairman of NFRA in 1994 after serving many years on various Association councils and the board of directors.
Gary Spinazze is a food industry veteran, with over 40 years of experience. Early in his career, he spent 17 years in retail with Chatham Super Markets. Gary moved on to Nash Finch as vice president of national accounts and later vice president of grocery procurement where his responsibilities covered perishable departments as well as store brands. Gary then worked at Bozzuto’s as director of corporate programs and trade relations. After his return to Nash Finch, he retired as vice president of vendor relations. Gary is co-founder and served as executive vice president and treasurer of Friends in Service of Heroes Foundation. He also served as chairman of the NFC Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Nash Finch. Gary served as NFRA chairman in 2009 and 2010 and has participated on many industry associations and committees throughout this career. He is currently a board member of the Distinguished Order of Zerocrats.
