Surplus Management
Decision Calculator
Walk through the food recovery hierarchy to find the highest-value path for your surplus produce. Every decision is grounded in the principle: Nothing Wasted, Nothing Free.
Is the surplus produce suitable for human consumption?
Evaluate food safety, quality standards, and regulatory compliance (SFCR/PCP). This is the highest-value diversion point.
Food Recovery Hierarchy
New Food Economy Principles
“Nothing Wasted, Nothing Free”
Prosperous to Conduct the Work
Every participant in the food system must be able to sustain themselves through participation — no poverty wages, no unpaid labor.
Dismantles Waste & Poverty Systems
Actively breaks down the structures that perpetuate food waste and food insecurity — not just mitigate, but replace.
Extract All Available Value
At every point of the value chain, capture and redirect value that the current system discards or ignores.
Extend & Redefine the Value Chain
The chain doesn't end at the consumer. Extend it to cover recovery, redistribution, upcycling, and regeneration.
Food Recovery Hierarchy
Decision framework based on the A.2 Surplus Management Decision Tree by Julie Dickson Olmstead.
Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals 2, 3, 5, 12, and 13.