The Brief: Food waste investing, responsAbility acquisition, gig workers in South Africa, vertical farming funding, manufacturing in underserved communities

Private food waste investments in the U.S. were up 30% to $4.8 billion last year, from $3.7 billion in 2020. Still, $14 billion in financing is needed each year to reach the national goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030, estimates the nonprofit ReFED.