Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Upcycled Food Association (UFA) is a nonprofit focused on preventing food waste by growing the upcycled food economy. Upcycled food prevents food waste by elevating otherwise wasted food ingredients into new, high quality products. UFA accomplishes this mission through four objectives: attracting more investment to the upcycled industry, improving the upcycled business network, improving the upcycled supply chain, and increasing consumer demand for upcycled products. UFA envisions a circular economy of food, in which millions of consumers prevent food waste via the products they buy. According to Project Drawdown, reducing food waste is the top solution to global warming.

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Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

One of the stated core values of UFA is inclusivity, which is centered around the belief that extra steps must be taken to ensure historically underrepresented populations achieve success from the booming upcycled industry. The upcycled food industry poses an opportunity to realize untapped value, and more importantly, the opportunity to decide where that value shall reside. As such, UFA created a committee within its Board of Directors to take steps to make the upcycled industry more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, the DEI Committee. The DEI Committee has taken several impactful actions since it was created, including creating a DEI discount, which allows prospective women-owned Members and UFA Members of Color to pay a 50% discount on their membership dues. So far, more than 42 Members have taken advantage of the discount, saving a collective $17,300. 

The committee also adopted policies to ensure UFA maintains a diverse staff and Board. The UFA Board of Directors is obligated to ensure that women and people of Color are represented by more than half of the Board‚ membership. At least one woman applicant and applicant of Color must be interviewed for every available board or staff position. Since the implementation of these policies, all new UFA staff hires have been women and/or people of Color. 

In 2021, the DEI Committee is taking further action to accomplish its goals. In partnership with the Betsy and Jesse Fink Family Foundation, UFA is providing retail readiness training to all Members of Color in an effort to grow the sales and revenue for these Members, who typically lack access to technical assistance. At the end of the cohort-based retail readiness program, participating Members will vote on two Members of Color to receive $5,000 grants. The DEI Committee will continue to take action in the near and long terms.

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