ReFED is excited to add five new solutions to its Solutions Database, reflecting a broader and more representative view of how food waste can be addressed across the food supply chain. While many of these strategies have already been implemented—some at scale, others in more targeted or informal ways—ReFED previously lacked the data necessary to model their impact using its standard methodology.

These new additions are the result of a months-long research effort conducted in partnership with LIDD, RRS, and Kai Robertson, a sustainability advisor. Together, the team interviewed solution providers, reviewed technical documentation, and assessed each solution’s diversion potential, financial performance, and adoption patterns. The result is a set of profiles that bring greater visibility to real-world practices and offer clearer insight into where food is being saved—and where more could be, under the right conditions.

On the Farm: Using “In-field Precooling Units” and “Online Marketplaces” to Recover More of What’s Already Grown

A significant portion of on-farm loss occurs before food ever enters the supply chain. Produce may be left unharvested due to rigid buyer specifications, labor shortages during peak harvest, or price volatility. The absence of on-site cooling infrastructure can also lead to rapid spoilage, especially for perishable crops.

One of the most effective interventions for reducing spoilage is rapid post-harvest cooling. For high-respiration crops like leafy greens and berries, lowering the temperature within the first hour after harvest can extend shelf life by several days. In-field precooling units—now increasingly modular and easier to deploy—are estimated to reduce losses by 6–14% across the supply chain by preserving quality early and minimizing downstream shrink, particularly where delays in cold chain access can accelerate spoilage. ReFED estimates that widespread adoption of precooling methods could prevent more than 83,000 tons of loss annually. Leasing and financing innovations are also expanding access to this technology for smaller farms across a wider range of geographies and harvest windows.

Even with infrastructure in place, surplus is often unavoidable. Shifting orders and unpredictable markets frequently leave growers with edible, high-quality produce and no buyer. Online marketplaces for surplus produce* are helping to address this gap by enabling farmers to list unsold, excess, or “imperfect” produce for sale to commercial buyers such as retailers, processors, and institutions. In one recent example, the Good Food Exchange, a regional online marketplace in Washington State, diverted over 300 tons of surplus produce in its first two months of operation, providing growers and local food businesses with a reliable outlet for surplus and a way to recover value from food that would have otherwise gone to waste.

On the Road: Using “Reverse Logistics” to Capture Surplus Using Existing Delivery Routes

​​Across the food system, trucks deliver products daily to stores, restaurants, and institutions, but many of those vehicles return to distribution centers empty. Reverse logistics repurposes these return trips by adding food donation pickups along the way.

This model aligns well with limited-service restaurant operations that offer ready-to-eat, pre-packaged items, where surplus is predictable, shelf life is limited, and food safety protocols are tightly regulated. By integrating donation pickups into existing delivery routes, businesses can recover surplus efficiently without the need for new infrastructure or standalone recovery services.

ReFED estimates that scaling this model across similar foodservice settings could result in the recovery of over 31.3 million meals each year and serve as a low-barrier way for operators to reduce waste, increase donations, and contribute to broader sustainability goals.

In the Aisles: Rethinking Retail Shrink through “Repackaging”

Retailers routinely pull food from shelves that is still safe and edible—due to expiration dates, damaged packaging, or inventory turnover. Repackaging these items for resale offers a practical strategy to reduce shrink and recover value.

While many stores have the physical infrastructure to support repackaging, the practice is not widely implemented because of limited staffing, competing operational demands, and regulatory requirements. State laws around products like eggs, dairy, and pre-weighed produce can limit what can be repackaged and how, making retailers cautious about introducing the practice at scale. Clear, consistent guidance from regulators on how to comply with these rules could help reduce risk and encourage adoption. Framing repackaging as a strategy to recapture revenue, rather than just reduce waste, could also help drive broader uptake.

According to ReFED, scaling this solution across the retail sector could generate $38.5 million in net financial benefit annually.

At the End: Creating Value from Unavoidable Waste through “Processed Animal Feed”

Some food waste cannot be prevented or recovered for human consumption, but it can still be put to good use. Processing surplus into animal feed* offers a safe, regulated way to redirect trimmings, off-spec items, and expired products into a productive end use.

Bright Feeds, based in New England, uses automated sorting, depackaging systems, and proprietary drying technology to convert a wide range of surplus food items into high-quality, shelf-stable animal feed. The final product is used by poultry, swine, dairy, and aquaculture farms across the Northeast as a cost-effective alternative to conventional corn- and soy-based feeds.

The environmental benefits are substantial. At full capacity, a single Bright Feeds facility avoids enough greenhouse gas emissions to equal removing 22,000 cars from the road each year.

Each of these five solutions reflects work already underway by actors across the food chain. By formally modeling their impact, ReFED offers a clearer picture of what’s working, what it costs, and where the greatest opportunities lie. These profiles don’t just fill analytical gaps; they broaden the menu of viable options for reducing food waste at scale.

Explore the full set of solution profiles. Get ReFED updates and food waste news directly to your Inbox.

*Note: Two of the five solutions—Online Marketplaces for Surplus Produce and Processed Animal Feed from Surplus Food—have been modeled internally and will be published to the Solutions Database later this summer.