ORLANDO, Fla. — As inflation and affordability pressures continue to strain household budgets, food insecurity is growing across Central Florida. At the same time, large amounts of perfectly edible produce are being left behind in farm fields or sent to landfills.
The City of Orlando is working to close that gap by expanding its food rescue program, an effort aimed at recovering surplus food and delivering it directly to families in need.
“I think the statistics say that about one in seven adults, one in five children here in Central Florida are struggling with food insecurity, and at the same time, a lot of food is getting left behind in the farm fields,” said Michael Hess, the city’s Director of Sustainability & Resilience.
Orlando has been involved in food rescue for five years and recovered about 50,000 pounds of food last year alone. To expand the program, the city is now working with Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, which is training city staff on ways to scale the effort.
For nonprofits on the front lines, the need is already overwhelming.
“It’s extreme,” said Kelly Stainer, Florida regional director for the Society of St. Andrew. “And especially for people this year with the SNAP benefits being cut, we saw a huge increase in need.”
The Society of St. Andrew coordinates gleanings, collecting surplus produce left behind after harvests or rejected by grocery stores despite being fresh and edible. Stainer said the city’s support has been critical.
“The City of Orlando has been able to provide us with four-wheel drive trucks and supplies, and most importantly, they are able to distribute the food to local communities within the city,” she said.
The city helps direct the produce to food banks and feeding agencies.
Because of that partnership, families often receive fresh produce the same day it is harvested.
City leaders say the Johns Hopkins partnership will help determine how Orlando can expand food rescue efforts even further.
“We think there’s a long way to go and we’re trying to figure out the best way for the city to support it,” Hess said.
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