Sprouts Farmers Market has become the latest grocery retailer to join the U.S. Food Waste Pact, a joint initiative led by ReFED and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to reduce food waste throughout the supply chain.
Sprouts and 21 other food businesses and organizations have committed to the pact’s voluntary agreement, which utilizes the “Target, Measure, Act” framework to facilitate industry collaboration and action to reduce waste across the food system.
According to ReFED, 31 percent of food produced in the United States goes uneaten or unsold, with the vast majority becoming waste that gets sent to landfills, incinerators and sewer systems. The surplus food generated in the retail sector alone is equivalent to nearly six billion meals and is valued at $28.7 billion – giving retailers that prioritize waste reduction an opportunity to help their bottom lines while helping communities.
“Reducing food waste is a top priority at Sprouts,” said Brandon Lombardi, the grocer’s chief sustainability officer.
“We have numerous initiatives in our supply chain and at store level designed to improve freshness and repurpose would-be food waste to higher uses. Joining the U.S. Food Waste Pact allows us to collaborate with other food businesses in the important effort to reduce food waste across the country.”
Sprouts takes a zero-waste approach to addressing food waste in its operations. In 2024, the company diverted more than 70 million pounds of food from entering the landfill. It also has operated its food rescue program since 2013, which has so far donated 244 million pounds of food, equivalent to more than 213 million meals.
As part of its participation in the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment (PCFWC), a public-private partnership focused on waste reduction along the West Coast of the U.S., Sprouts became one of the first signatories to formalize best practice sharing, releasing a case study in 2022 that detailed its strategy and approach to food waste reduction.
“We’re so happy to have Sprouts join the pact,” said Jackie Suggitt, VP of business initiatives and community engagement at ReFED.
“ReFED and WWF have been fortunate to work with Sprouts through the PCFWC, and they have been a great example for the retail sector when it comes to food waste reduction. We look forward to bringing them into the pact and seeing them collaborate with their industry peers on a national level.”
Other signatories to the pact include retailers Ahold Delhaize USA, Aldi U.S., Amazon Fresh, Kroger, Raley’s, Walmart Inc., and Whole Foods Market; manufacturers Bob’s Red Mill, Del Monte Fresh Produce Co. and Lamb Weston Inc.; coalition signatories FMI – The Food Industry Association, Health Care Without Harm and R&DE Stanford Food Institute; foodservice signatories Aramark, Compass Group USA, ISS Guckenheimer and Sodexo USA; quick-service restaurants Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and Wawa; and hospitality signatory Hilton.
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