Food Rescue MAINE is currently working to develop a comprehensive map of Maine’s food system, organized by the pieces of a successful circular food system.

This map will provide Mainers with critical information about the food system in their region. Data sets will include categories such as food recycling organizations, farmers, schools, cold storage facilities, food processors, and much more.

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1. To develop Maine food system infrastructure to meet the food processing needs of our primary target: Maine farmers and secondary target: Maine food system participants.
2. To develop a problem-solving tool for the State of Maine to end food waste by supporting a circular food system solution.
3. To develop a decision-making tool for the State of Maine that supports equitable, resilient, “community”-based food system solutions.

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1. Identified data points with input from partners (Maine Farmland Trust Department of Environmental Protection and stakeholders in every part of the circular food system).
2. The student intern putting together this data then handed it off to a 91±¬ÁÏ GIS class taught by Professor Kate Beard.
3. Her students took our data and began to create independent dashboards representing Maine’s circular food system, while working with our stakeholders themselves for any questions.
4. Professor Kate Beard is working now to combine the efforts of her students into one comprehensive circular food system map of Maine.

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While the circular food system map is not finished yet, we are super excited to share it with you! Keep an eye out for updates on this page.

Maine’s Circular Food System.

“Changing our food system to one based on the principles of the circular economy is one of the most powerful things we can do to tackle climate change and build biodiversity. We can achieve this and provide healthy nutritious food for all.” – Ellen MacArthur Foundation

The post Pilot 5: Maine Circular Food System GIS Map and Resource Locator appeared first on Food Rescue MAINE.

After Pilot 3 was completed, we had many recipes to upcycle food, but no knowledge about what products would be feasible to sell in store. Mainers Feeding Mainers, a Good Shepherd Food Bank program, did a crucial study to see what items would be marketable in Maine stores.

Goals

1. To develop a resilient local Maine region food supply chain (produced, inventory/storage, processing, transportation, retail).
2. To reduce wasted food (nutritional, $ value) and related wasted key resources (water, energy, labor, soil).
3. To reduce food insecurity and improve access to nutritious local food for all MAine region consumers (retail, food service, food bank).
4. To reduce the climate impact of wasted food through decreased landfilling and transportation.

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1. Identify excess farm food surplus opportunity – type, quantity, and location (USDA, MFT, MOFGA).
2. Research successful social benefit, upcycled food brand economic models: Upcycled Food Association, Matriark Foods, Feeding America/Food Band initiatives, Philabundance.
3. Identify potential manufacturers and target food service/retail customers: Hannaford, MDOC, Sodexo, DOE, Good Shepherd, and MGFPA.
4. Develop a pilot project to create a sustainable/profitable, long-term business plan.

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Phase I Products (current items ordered by Good Shepherd Food Bank):

1. CLASSIC MAINE APPLE SAUCE: Made with fresh apples grown in the Maine region, this apple sauce is a New England favorite! Kettle-cooked the old-fashioned way using chunky whole fruit for a delicious homemade taste. With no added sugar, it is a great healthy treat for the whole family! Other flavors include Cinnamon Apple Sauce, Apple Berry Sauce, and Apple Cranberry Sauce.
2. CLASSIC MAINE GARDEN MARINARA SAUCE – Our original Maine Garden Marinara Sauce uses a tasty, slow kettle-cooked recipe featuring real fresh Maine-grown vegetables in many delicious easy meals with meats, seafood, pizza, or casseroles. Flavors include Classic Maine Garden Marinara Sauce and Sweet Basil Garden Pasta Sauce.

Phase II Produce (to be developed – not currently ordered by Good Shepherd Food Bank):

1. MAINE SOUPS (CREAM AND BROTH-BASED) – Our Maine Cream of Tomato Soup is an elegantly simple combination of fresh tomatoes, cream, basil, and black pepper – a real classic. Other flavors include Maine butternut squash, Maine cream of broccoli, and Maine potato cheddar.
2. MAINE VEGETABLE MINESTRONE SOUP – Our Maine vegetable minestrone is a fresh tomato broth filled with fresh carrots, celery, onions, pasta, potatoes, zucchini, peach, green beans, red kidney beans, and chickpeas. Other flavors include Down East Farm Spring Vegetable Soup and Maine Lentil Vegetable Soup.
3. DEHYDRATED SNACK – Grain snack bars, dried fruit snacks, kids fruit snack bars.
4. SPENT GRAIN BAKERY – bread, rolls, crackers.

The post Pilot 4: “Mainers Feeding Mainers” A Social Benefit Brand appeared first on Food Rescue MAINE.

After discovering how many surplus crops farmers struggled to sell (pilot 2), we knew we had to figure out new markets for their use.

Upcycled food products are foods (often surplus food or produce seconds) that are repurposed through processing techniques.

Goals

• To expand the available markets for surplus crops.
• To increase the shelf life of food and make it more versatile.

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1. We met with the USDA to see what the biggest food waste categories in Maine were.
2. We collaborated with Kennbec Valley Community College’s food preservation cooking class.
3. Local farms brought their surplus crops to the culinary arts program for experimentation in preserving their surplus harvest.
4. The students created creative and nutritious recipes out of this surplus harvest.
5. Because this happened during the Covid-19 lockdown, recipe samples were mailed out, and a Zoom meeting was held with our partners to determine the efficiency of these recipes in the market.

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• Sodexo
• Pineland Dairy
• Good Shepherd Food Pantry
• Walter Beesley (Maine Public Schools Director of Nutrition)

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After being vetted by our partners, recipes for surplus apples, butternut squash, skim milk, and cheese were created. Check out Solution 4’s tools & resources to find these recipes!

Photo of upcycled products made by KVCC students.

“We Mainers carry values we learned from our grandparents. We work hard and we don’t like to waste anything. That’s why we work to recognize the hard work of Maine farmers, turning their perfectly good surplus into delicious food for Maine families.” – KVCC Culinary Arts Student

The post Pilot 3: Maine Upcycled Food Products appeared first on Food Rescue MAINE.

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To help connect Maine farmers with surplus food to large, institutional customers.

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1. Every week we reach out to Maine farmers and determine if they have any surplus food that they would like to sell.
2. This list is sent to institutions that are seeking affordable food in large quantities.
3. The institution can then pick up which surplus foods they want to purchase and where they will pick it up. All proceeds go directly to the farmer.

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• We learned that because surplus food varies every week, it is difficult to process traditionally. But, in cases like the Maine Department of Corrections, it means they can have access to varieties of local produce every week at a great price.
• This program helps Maine farmers generate income from produce that would otherwise have gone to waste.
• This program helps create a surplus marketplace. In other words, the program is not intended to create long-term buying relationships, it is only for isolated cases of surplus.

This is the Maine Surplus Opportunity Report template.

The post Pilot 2: Maine Farm Surplus Opportunity Buy Report appeared first on Food Rescue MAINE.

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To reduce on-farm food loss by identifying profitable ways to use their extra food. The survey was aimed primarily at Maine’s fruit and vegetable farmers and sought to answer the following questions:

1. How many Maine farms have a surplus?
2. How much surplus do Maine farms have?
3. How often do Maine farmers have a surplus?
4. What are the most common crops which make up Maine farm surplus?
5. How would Maine farmers like to handle their surplus?

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1. We first developed the Farm Surplus Survey.
2. The survey was sent in conjunction with several Maine farm organizations, such as Maine Farmland Trust, the Maine Organic Farms and Gardeners Association, Cooperative Extension, and other key stakeholders in farming and growing.

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Data from the survey suggests that farm surplus is a consistent challenge for Maine farms, but varies in its amount and makeup.

Farmers expressed interest in selling their surplus to large institutions such as public schools. This led us to develop Pilot 2.

Farm Surplus Survey data explaining how farmers would prefer to use their farm surplus.

Farm Surplus Survey data explaining how frequently farmers have surplus crops.

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