The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced their National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, the strategy provides tangible goals that US government partners, retailers and consumers can work towards, with packaging front and centre.

Its four key objectives are to prevent food loss, prevent food waste, increase the recycling rate for all organic waste and support policies that incentivise and encourage these goals. Its deadline is set for 2030.

Planned action by the FDA includes administering a mandatory pre-market review programme and updating its guidance for industry to assist manufacturers in developing innovative packaging products that reduce food loss and waste, such as biodegradable or compostable packaging.

The FDA will also continue its surveillance activities to monitor the market disappearance of PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) coatings from paper packaging due to health risks.

USDA and the FDA will contribute date labelling and food safety advice to inform the EPA's national consumer education campaign.

US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack commented: “Everyone has a role to play in reducing food loss and waste, and I hope that these federal commitments will inspire and catalyse action in the private sector and communities around the US." 

On 7 June 2024, the US General Services Administration (GSA) issued its final rule for addressing and minimising single-use plastic and packaging materials across federal supply schedule contracts.

The US packaging market is expected to register a compound annual growth rate of more than 1% by 2027.