Food For Change, Episode 3: Making Food a Priority: Policy Solutions to Reduce Waste

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In episode three of Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet, discover how policy change, community innovation and national advocacy are all essential to reducing food waste and hunger. Guests emphasize that food banks can’t do it alone — laws must encourage donation, communities must be empowered to act locally and governments must recognize food insecurity as a systemic issue requiring coordinated solutions.

Emily Broad Leib, founder and director of Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) explains how the field of food law and policy emerged, from her early work in Mississippi to founding the FLPC. She highlights the Atlas Global de Política de Doação de Alimentos (developed with GFN), which maps policies across 27+ countries to improve food donation and reduce waste. Emily discusses advances in liability protections, food waste deterrence policies, and previews new resources like the Atlas Starter Toolkit and expanded European research.

Tanaporn “Faii” Oi-Isaranukul, operations and communicators director at Scholars of Sustenance Thailand (SOS), shares SOS’s unique same-day food recovery and distribution model, built on strict food safety checks, community volunteers and an in-house logistics app. SOS helped develop Thailand’s first national food donation safety guidelines and is now exploring carbon credits and tax benefits linked to food recovery. Fai emphasizes community-driven food rescue and hopes for policies that normalize food donation and reduce environmental impacts.

Brianna Casey, most recently the CEO of Foodbank Australia, reflects on leading a large warehouse-based national network. She highlights Foodbank Australia’s role during crises (bushfires, COVID-19, floods) and the importance of its annual Hunger Report, which in 2024, showed 3.4 million households face food insecurity. Brianna discusses their advocacy for a National Food Donation Tax Incentive and broader systemic reforms, aiming for an “Australia without hunger.” She stresses the long-term value of data-driven advocacy and the global solidarity of food bankers — “once a food banker, always a food banker.”

Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of The Global FoodBanking Network.

Key Takeaways

• Policy is key to unlocking more food donation. The field of food law and policy helps identify and remove legal barriers that stop safe, surplus food from being donated.
• O Global Food Donation Policy Atlas now covers 27+ countries, mapping laws on date labeling, tax incentives, liability protection, food safety and more.
• Recent global policy wins include new liability protections, food waste deterrence laws, and tax reforms in countries like Singapore, Colombia, Israel and the U.S.
• A new Atlas Starter Toolkit makes it easier for governments, businesses, and food banks to research food donation policy best practices quickly.
• Food banks are central food policy partners because they understand local realities and can push for practical, context-specific policy change.
• Scholars of Sustenance Thailand partnered with government agencies to create Thailand’s first national food donation safety guidelines and a rapid food-safety testing kit.
• Foodbank Australia’s annual Hunger Report is the go-to resource for the state of hunger in Australia. The 2024 report revealed that 3.4 million households face food insecurity, including 1 in 5 median-income households.
• In Australia, policy wins and advocacy include pushing for a National Food Donation Tax Incentive, social protection reforms and a forthcoming National Food Security Strategy.

Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet is a podcast by The Global FoodBanking Network, where we whisk together big ideas, bold innovations and inspiring action to serve up solutions for people and the planet. 

Why Comida para a mudança? Because right now, one in eleven people face hunger while one-third of all food goes to waste — and that’s contributing up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But here’s the good news: there are brilliant solutions out there and passionate people dedicated to creating meaningful change. 

Each episode brings together the sharpest minds in hunger relief, food recovery, climate action and food policy — who are reducing food waste, improving nutritious food access and addressing the gaps in our global food systems.