With SNAP in crisis, America’s epic food waste problem has become a lifeline

The government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, significantly reduces the likelihood that many Americans will have enough to eat this month.

Last week, before funds for federal food benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ran out due to the shutdown, District Court Judge John McConnell ordered the Trump administration use reserve funding to continue SNAP into November. The administration responded Monday, saying it would only refund about half the total amount. and warned that it could take months so that recipients can receive payments.

On Thursday, McConnell issued a follow-up order directing the USDA to fund full SNAP benefits for November and distribute this funding to states immediatelysetting a deadline of Friday. “This should never happen in America” McConnell said during Thursday's hearing. The administration has already filed an appeal decision and filed an emergency motion Friday morning asking the appellate court to stay the order on the grounds that the judge exceeded his powers.

“Senate Democrats have voted against reopening the government 14 times. This jeopardizes not only SNAP, but also farm programs, food inspection, animal and plant disease protection, rural development and the protection of federal lands,” USDA spokesman Gristou said after McConnell's second order. Later Friday, USDA officials sent a memo to states saying the agency was preparing “complete the processes required to provide funds(The memo, according to the New York Times, does not mention the pending appeal.)

As millions of Americans who rely on SNAP dollars wait to see whether the administration will comply with the latest court order, payment delays are all but inevitable for now. Some states warned that once they receive funds from the USDA, the distribution of these November payments could take several weeks to reach all recipients due to the way the federal government has directed states to distribute them. Earlier this week, Pennsylvania officials sent a letter to the agency which noted that the USDA “directs states to use the most complex and time-consuming approach” when issuing benefits. Other states, including California, Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsinsaid they had already begun paying full monthly benefits despite ongoing legal changes.

Across the country, local organizations are struggling to fill gaps left by increasingly unreliable government aid. Food banks, community organizations, even famous talk show hosts are launching food drives and collecting donations for the nearly 42 million SNAP recipients affected by the shutdown. And soon, that number of people in need will only grow: new work requirements for SNAP included in Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill” just came into effectThis is expected to further cut benefits for many Americans and push others out of the program entirely.

Among these efforts is a group of organizations that were created to support a slow climate solution to reduce food waste and are now joining a comprehensive response to the inevitable hunger crisis.

On Monday, Kashi Sehgal and her team at Retaaz will begin driving a gutted Sprinter van loaded with local produce, grains, lentils, cereals, peanut butter and more around DeKalb County, Georgia. Twice a week they distribute their goods in areas where there is a shortage of fresh, whole foods. Community members using SNAP and EBT cards will be able to receive half off discounted fresh fruits and vegetables sourced from nearby farms.

“It’s like an ice cream truck, but for vegetables and produce,” Segal said. “Accessing food doesn't have to be humiliating. You can make it a positive experience so people want to come.”

Sehgal founded Retaaza in 2020 to buy surplus produce from local farmers—food that would otherwise end up in a compost heap or landfill—and sell it to nearby businesses and individuals. Retaaza aims to reduce food waste before it enters the supply chain, helping to dramatically reduce emissions. Rough 17 percent food grown on farms every year across the country is lost or wasted. This is due to issues such as overproduction, cosmetic standards, low market prices and high harvesting costs. In Georgia, one of the country's agricultural centers, A huge amount of food is produced every year ends up in landfills.

The planetary impact of this is nothing to scoff at: if the government continues to waste food at the same rate as it is now, some project estimates Carbon dioxide emissions will increase from 8.3 megatons of CO2 per year to 9.3 megatons by 2030. $382 billion worth of food in 2023which produces planet-warming emissions equivalent to approximately 54 million passenger cars. Most uneaten food rots in landfills, where organic matter accounts for approximately 17.4 percent methane emissions throughout the country. But if Georgia had gone in the opposite direction and instead reduce food waste by 12 percent, by the end of the decade this figure could fall to 7.5 megatonnes of CO2.. (Just one megaton of CO2 equals annual emissions of approximately 233,255 gasoline consuming vehicles.) Since its inception, Retaaza has diverted approximately 1.1 million pounds of surplus food from Georgia farms.

Over the past month, Segal has watched as the Trump administration tried to halt, severely delay and then limit SNAP benefits, prompting Segal to try to figure out how her company could step in and help meet the moment. More than 127,000 DeKalb County residentsor 16.7 percent of the population, receive SNAP benefits. “You can’t throw away food these days,” Segal said. “So why not donate your surplus food first and feed those who need help? This keeps food out of landfill and has a direct impact on greenhouse gas emissions.”

While the lockdown and subsequent food affordability crisis in America has pushed groups like Retaaza into new directions, government gridlock is also threatening its core business. That's because food retailers who accept SNAP benefits are among those at risk of losing revenue if payments are delayed or reduced. Money from the USDA program supports approximately 388,000 retail jobs and generates more than $4.5 billion in state and federal tax revenue. nationwide. Last week, as businesses across the country rushed to help their food-insecure SNAP programs. clients, USDA issued a notice A reminder to retailers that offering special SNAP discounts without a waiver is considered a violation of the program.

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The shutdown could worsen hunger in America, just as the Trump administration has stopped tracking it.

Trump has repeatedly refused to meet with Democrats to negotiate on a major issue that triggered the shutdown: expiring health insurance subsidies that Democrats want to extend and Republicans want to stop paying. Meanwhile, federal food assistance and many other government services including for farmerscontinue to be seriously disrupted across the country.

“By threatening to cut off SNAP benefits during the shutdown, Trump is acting less like a president and more like a king, using low-income people as pawns in his political game,” said Mitch Jones, managing director of policy and litigation for the nonprofit Food & Water Watch. “Trump's USDA is also defying the law and weaponizing hunger. By withholding court-ordered benefits, USDA is leaving families desperate, forced to choose between food and medicine, food and rent.”

Angel Veza, director of innovation initiatives at national nonprofit ReFED, says Retaaza is one of many food recovery organizations that have been on the front lines of the fight against food insecurity due to lockdowns. “Many are simply expanding their operations and continuing to move forward using existing surplus produce and other types of food supplies,” Veza said, “while some are also changing course, optimizing their logistics routes so they can reach more people without having to hire more trucks, more drivers and work with what they have, and others are quickly mobilizing to form new partnerships and quickly implement entirely new models for response.”

In Des Moines, Iowa, one such initiative is helping keep Matt Chapman, a 62-year-old disabled man, and his elderly sister from going hungry.

At the end of each month, they almost always “end up broke,” Chapman said, and that's where SNAP dollars help them have enough to eat. But even that money is still in short supply, so Chapman often relies on a local food rescue organization to receive free surplus food that has recently expired. Last month, Chapman got lucky and received two servings of ribs, a pre-packaged bag of mixed foods, canned fruits and vegetables, and some eggs, butter and milk.

This month, however, he and his sister face more uncertainty than usual as the shutdown drags on and public safety nets like SNAP become embroiled in a power struggle in Washington. Some expenses are non-negotiable: “First there's rent. First there's housing. And then what comes next? Healthcare,” says Chapman. “But I only have enough for medicine or food. So what should we do?”