13:1E-227 Goal of reducing amount of food waste established.

2. a. There is established for the State a goal of reducing, by the year 2030, the amount of food waste generated annually in the State by 50 percent of that amount which is generated in the year this act takes effect.

b. (1) Within one year after the effective date of this act, the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, shall develop and commence implementation of a plan to accomplish the State food waste reduction goal established by subsection a. of this section. The Department of Environmental Protection shall hold at least three public hearings during the development of the plan to seek public input thereon. The departments may also consult and coordinate with other governmental entities and private, nonprofit, or charitable associations, organizations, or businesses, such as those in the agricultural, grocery, restaurant, food manufacturer, food supply, food bank, food pantry, and healthcare sectors of the food industry, in developing and implementing the plan.

(2) As part of the plan, the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, shall make such recommendations for any administrative or legislative action deemed necessary to further progress toward achieving the State food waste reduction goal, which shall be transmitted to the Legislature in accordance with the requirements of section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) and to the chairpersons of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, the Senate Economic Growth Committee, the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee, and the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, or their respective successors.

L.2017, c.136, s.2.