Princeton’s Role in a Growing Movement: Turning Food Waste into Food Security
To the Editor:
On April 23, I had the honor of testifying before the New Jersey Assembly’s Environment and Solid Waste Committee on behalf of Share My Meals and the growing coalition behind meal recovery in our state. We were there to support a trio of legislative proposals that could transform how New Jersey handles surplus food — by making meal recovery, not composting, the first choice for food that is still safe, nourishing, and untouched.
It’s a conversation we’ve long needed to have. Every day, institutions across New Jersey — corporate cafeterias, universities, hospitals — discard millions of pounds of perfectly good food. At the same time, right here in our own Princeton community and beyond, too many families are unsure where their next meal will come from.
That disconnect is why Share My Meals was created. Since launching our model in Princeton, we’ve grown from a local meal delivery network into the nonprofit leader behind the Meal Recovery Coalition, a statewide partnership of major employers, food service providers, volunteers, and government allies. Together, we’ve already recovered 290,000 meals, prevented 1.6 million pounds of CO2 emissions, and are now poised to scale to 1 million meals annually—with Princeton at the heart of it all.
The bills we supported in Trenton — S2426, S200/A1418, and S3889/A5387 — lay the foundation for this scale by requiring counties to plan for food recovery, clarifying date labeling to prevent premature food disposal, and incentivizing reduction on college campuses.
This isn’t just environmental policy — it’s climate action, public health, and economic common sense. According to data we presented at the hearing, every $1 invested in meal recovery yields $14 in public benefit—from reduced landfill costs and emissions to improved health outcomes for our neighbors.
But it will take all of us. Here in Princeton, we’re proud to be part of this effort — from volunteers who deliver meals each day, to companies and institutions who are rethinking what they do with excess food. If you’re a local business, school, or food provider, I invite you to reach out and explore how you can be part of this solution. And to our fellow residents, we encourage you to support local and state efforts that treat food as a resource—not waste.
Together, we can help New Jersey become a national leader in sustainable, equitable food recovery—with Princeton continuing to show what’s possible when a community comes together to do what’s right.