ReFED and the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic actively monitor legislative developments related to reducing food loss and waste. Their biannual updates to the Food 91²Ö¿â Policy Finder provide an overview of policies that states and the federal government have enacted across six areas that directly impact food waste.
“If youâve been following our blog updates on state food waste legislation, you may notice that this yearâs update is a little different. Weâve expanded the categories of bills we track to better reflect the many policy levers that states are using to address food waste.
Previously, we tracked 13 categories (plus âotherâ). We have now added three new categories:
- Disposal surcharge fees: Bills that add or increase per-ton disposal fees to incentivize recycling, composting, and donation.
- End-market development: Legislation requiring government entities to purchase compost or other products developed from organic waste. This category also captures bills that incentivize the use of these products and aim to develop robust markets for organic end products.
- Reporting: Bills that establish food waste reporting requirements, such as requiring reporting on organic waste generated, food donations, or food waste sent for recycling.
Weâve also updated several category descriptions to better reflect the types of legislation weâre seeing and put bills in multiple categories when they have more than one intended purpose.
As of July 2026, 37 states have introduced 135 unique bills related to food waste, with 26 enacted so far this year. Of the remaining bills, 45 are still pending, and 64 are now dead, meaning the bill can no longer pass. New Jersey and New York lead with 21 unique bills introduced by legislators in each of those states, followed by California with 16.”