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FEED MKE - CHALLENGE BANNER - People Cooking in a Kitchen with a Chef

 

Launching a City-Wide Challenge

FOODSAVER-MAIN - Food Saver LogoFood Saver Challenges across the U.S. help communities prevent food waste, rescue surplus food, and recycle scraps, following strategies aligned with the EPA’s Wasted Food Scale. These efforts benefit the environment, society, and economy by reducing landfill waste and feeding those in need.

As part of the FEED MKE Pilot Project, Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s Milwaukee Food Saver Challenge will provide essential support to our hospitality industry as we work together to create sustainable solutions to address food insecurity, reduce waste, and strengthen the local food system.

Program Basics

The program will build bridges between local chefs, food businesses, and food waste initiatives, ensuring surplus ingredients are repurposed for distribution to those in need. Collaboration with the Milwaukee Independent Restaurant Coalition and theWisconsin Restaurant Association will bring skilled culinary professionals into the fight against food insecurity while providing support for their bottom line and sharing resources that will help our Milwaukee food community earn more and waste less.

We’re inviting restaurants, hotels, event spaces, caterers, bars, cafés, food trucks, and other food service businesses to participate—and we need diners, shoppers, event planners, home cooks, and residents to join in too!

FEED MKE will provide business participants with:

FEEDMKE-FSC-AUDITS - Person Working on a Computer✅ Waste Audits & Action Plans

Partner with top researchers and data analysts to track and reduce food waste.

We’ll provide hands-on training for food businesses on using waste audit tools effectively. Plus, we’re offering a limited number of FREE waste audits to help Milwaukee-area chefs, restaurants, and caterers identify savings and minimize food waste in their kitchens and dining rooms.  We'll also connect you with our LakeFriendly Business program so you can take the pledge!

FEEDMKE-FSC-TRAINING - People Working at a Table in a Kitchen✅ Training & Education 

Learn from global and local experts who share cost-saving, waste-reducing strategies. Through a network of industry leaders and local changemakers, we’ll offer training on key food waste topics.

Want to master food preservation and fermentation?  We’ve got you covered.  Need help navigating food donation policies?  We can guide you.  We’re here to connect you with the knowledge and tools you need.

FEEDMKE-FSC-COLLABS - Group of Chefs Speaking in a Kitchen✅ Collaboration with Food Professionals 

Build connections, streamline supply chains, and get expert support.

Milwaukee’s food community is strong, independent, and built on collaboration. We want to strengthen those connections by bringing together local chefs, restaurant owners, and caterers—along with national and international partners—to find practical solutions that reduce waste and improve your bottom line.

FEEDMKE-FSC-MARKETING - Farmer and Chef Talking on a Podcast✅ Community-Based Marketing Campaigns

Gain visibility and promotion through national, regional, and local outreach.

We know how hard it is to cut through the noise in today’s crowded marketing landscape. That’s why Food Saver Challenge participants receive:  up to one year of Food Saver related marketing support, ongoing publicity and digital storytelling opportunities, and targeted ad placements and media exposure.   

FEEDMKE-TECH - Couple Using their Smart Phones to Purchase Food✅ Smart Solutions for Food Waste Prevention

Partner with FEED MKE to reduce food waste and generate revenue through services like Too Good to Go, Goodr, GoodieBag, and more!

By joining Mayor Cavalier Johnson's Food Saver Challenge, you'll gain early access to top tech-enabled food-saving resources. We'll connect you with our partners to ensure your surplus food reaches community members—helping them save money – reducing waste, and boosting your bottom line!

  

More Ways to Participate

Explore the Impact of FoodService on Food Waste in Wisconsin

ReFED REPORTThis February 2025 ReFED Report demonstrates the impact of Wisconsin's foodservice businesses, food supply partners, and food suppliers on food waste.

The ReFED Insights Engine is an online hub for data and solutions featuring the most comprehensive examination of food loss and waste in the United States.  It includes a Food Waste Monitor, Solutions Database, Solution Provider Directory, Impact Calculator, Capital Tracker, and Policy Finder. 

FEED MKE is a collaborative partner with the ReFED team.  If you'd like to learn more, connect with ReFED experts, access ReFED content, or hear from other restaurant and food business partners, just let us know!

Explore Opportunities to Get In On the Fun

  • Bread-to-Tap Event
  • Get on the LeaderBoard
  • Song Contest
  • Restaurant Events
  • Poetry Contest
  • Cooking Challenge
  • Art Contest

FEED MKE BREWERY

Surplus Bread Becomes Brew for a Cause

Partner with a Local Brewery to Host a Bread-to-Tap Event

Bread-to-Tap events bring together brewers, restaurants, and organizations to transform unsold bread from local bakeries into a unique, limited-release beer—raising awareness about food waste and sustainable solutions.

Brewers (or distillers) can also collaborate with local farms and gleaning organizations to incorporate surplus produce into a special brew with the same mission.

A Bread-to-Tap Event is more than just a beer release—it’s a chance to educate, connect, and inspire action against food waste.  Add Trivia, Food Themed Karaoke, Live Music, or a Food Drive to amp it up!

Let FEED MKE help you partner with a local brewery to fight food waste and have some fun!

FEED MKE FWPW LeaderBoard

Join FEED MKE on the Food Waste Prevention Week City of Milwaukee Leaderboard

Enroll Your Group or Organization to Support FEED MKE in Food Waste Prevention Week

Join us and our partners from April 7–13, 2025, for Food Waste Prevention Week (FWPW). This event—featuring both online and in-person activities—brings together organizations and businesses committed to driving action and cultural change around food waste.

Why Become a Partner or Sponsor?  It’s a simple yet impactful way to show your commitment to environmental sustainability; help reduce hunger in your community; support families in saving money on food.

FWPW provides a comprehensive toolkit with easy-to-use resources to help you promote food waste prevention within your organization and community.  If you're interested in joining us as an official partner, please watch the orientation video linked below, and feel free to reach out to FEED MKE with questions!

FWPW Partner Video

Enter the Food Waste Prevention Week Song Contest

FWPW Song Parody ImageEnter the Food Waste Prevention Week Parody Song Contest

Create Your Parody:  Write and perform a parody song or video related to reducing food waste. Your parody can focus on themes like: checking date labels, freezing and storing food properly, meal planning and portioning, creative ways to use leftovers, or any other clever food-saving tips or hack!

Submit Your Entry: Post on Social Media – share on your social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).  Be sure to tag @FoodWastePreventionWeek and use the hashtag #FWPWParodyContest.  Don’t forget to include a caption about your parody and how it helps reduce food waste.

​​Deadline: Submit your parodies during Food Waste Prevention Week, April 7-13, 2025.

For more information, please see the FWPW rules and submissions criteria document. And if you do decide to participate and post your contest submission, please tag the Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) on social media (@ecocitymke) and use the hashtag #FEEDMKE.

We look forward to seeing what you create!

FEED MKE FWPW for Restaurants

Ways Your Restaurant Can Get Involved in Food Waste Prevention Week

Review Restaurant-Specific Opportunities for Food Waste Prevention Week

Leverage Social Media: Share #FWPW materials and showcase your restaurant’s waste reduction efforts—whether it’s composting, smart kitchen practices, or creative ingredient use.

Feature a Special FWPW Dish: Create a dish that repurposes commonly discarded ingredients—whether it’s something from your own kitchen or an item home cooks often throw away. 

Spotlight a Menu Favorite: Highlight an existing menu item that maximizes ingredient use. Share the story on social media or menu signage to show customers how your restaurant reduces waste. See the “menu mainstays” section here for examples.

Host a Waste-Reducing Event: Plan an event featuring dishes that minimize food waste—whether it’s a tasting, a special menu, or a plated dinner.  And let FEED MKE help you coordinate your food reovery efforts for addressing the surplus.

Organize a Food Waste Awareness Tour: Collaborate with other restaurants or a tour organizer to create a walking tour. At each stop, a restaurant representative can share their food waste reduction efforts while offering small bites. See how those DC restaurants did it here.

Join us in making a difference—one meal at a time!

FWPW Poetry Contest FlyerFood Waste Prevention Week Poetry Contest

Share the K-12 #FWPW Poetry Contest with a Student or Teacher You Know

The Food Waste Prevention Week Poetry Contest is back with a new theme: "What Food Means to Me – A Love Letter to Food.

The poem can take one of two formats: a Haiku – 3 lines with a syllable count of 5-7-5; or a ZIP Ode – 5 lines where each number of your zip code determines the number of words in that line.

​Eligibility:  The contest is open to K-12 students.
Deadline: The deadline for submission is Thursday, April 10, 2025.

Submissions: Teachers will select the top poem from their class and submit through this form.

See the official #FWPW website for Contest Rules, Prize Values, and additional information.

Food Waste Prevention Week Cooking Challenge

FWPW Cooking ChallengeFood Waste Prevention Week Cooking Challenge

The Food Waste Prevention Week Cooking Challenge is hosting the second annual challenge to highlight the ingenious food-waste-fighting work going on in household kitchens across the country. 

Everyone wins when we make the most of food, but the submitted recipes that most excite our judges will earn prizes.  And every entry will be entered in a raffle. 

​Eligibility:  The contest is open to anyone who would like to enter.
Deadline: The deadline for submission is Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

Submissions: Anytime you make a meal that helps you rescue food that might have been tossed, tell us about it by filling out the form in the link above.  Each dish you share will be an entry in the challenge.  You don’t need to write out a formal recipe, just share the story of the dish and, if you can, include a photo.  Entries should be made using this form.

Entries can earn additional points by posting and tagging #FWPWChallenge @foodwastepreventionweek, @Ends&Stems and @EatOrToss on social media.

See the official #FWPW website for Contest Rules, Prize Values, and additional information.

Food Waste Prevention Week Art Contest

FWPW Art ContestShare the K-12 #FWPW Art Contest with a Student You Know

The Food Waste Prevention Week Art Contest is back with a new theme: "What Food Means to Me – A Love Letter to Food.

The art submission must be original work (no generative AI) – and it must be full color (no black and white sketches).  It should be submitted in landscape format with a brief comment on how the artwork connects to the theme.

​Eligibility:  The contest is open to K-12 students.
Deadline: The deadline for submission is Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Submissions: Students will submit their artwork directly through this form.

See the official #FWPW website for Contest Rules, Prize Values, and additional information.

Join Us for the Challenge Launch

FWPW 2025 - Food Waste Prevention Week LogoWe're launching Mayor Cavalier Johnson's Milwaukee Food Saver Challenge during Food Waste Prevention Week, April 7-13, 2025. 

As a proud Food Waste Prevention Partner, Milwaukee is leading the way in reducing food waste!

At the kickoff event, you’ll have the chance to hear from Mayor Cavalier Johnson; visit a Food Saver Challenge site; connect with FEED MKE Coalition members; meet the team supporting you throughout the challenge; learn about upcoming contests and opportunities; hear from a FEED MKE Mini-Grant awardee who is actively participating in the Food Saver Challenge pilot.  

Don’t miss this opportunity to get involved!

Sign Up to Join Us at the Kick-Off!

 

REACH OUT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FEED MKE, GET INVOLVED, OR BE IN TOUCH 

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