Every year, the United States generates more than 100 million tons of wasted food—the majority of it being fresh fruits and vegetables—with over 50 percent going to landfills or incinerators. What if there was a company using advanced technologies and sustainable infrastructure to prevent wasted food and close the loop to “Protect the Value of Food”?

That’s the mission of Divert, a company offering an end-to-end solution that prevents waste by maximizing the freshness of food, recovers edible food to serve communities in need, and converts wasted food into renewable energy. Divert’s Co-Founder and CEO Ryan Begin will share the company’s leading role in addressing the human and environmental crises created by wasted food as a keynote presenter at Organic Produce Summit 2023 in a session titled “Protecting the Value of Food: Learning to Value Food at All Stages of Its Lifecycle—from Seed to Wasted Food to Renewable Energy.”

Ryan Begin, Co-Founder and CEO, Divert

Founded in 2007, Divert works with more than 5,400 retail stores across the US, helping them reach their sustainability goals. Working with major retailers across the US like Ahold Delhaize, Albertsons, and Target, among others, Divert has enabled individual stores to decrease wasted food and reduce shrink while having a positive impact on the retailer’s bottom line.

“Food has become an undervalued resource in the US with 40 percent of all food being thrown away, predominantly making its way to landfills. More than ever before, we need to collectively educate and learn to value food at all points of its lifecycle—from how it was grown from a seed, to the people and transportation that went into bringing it to a store, and beyond,” said Ryan Begin, CEO and co-founder of Divert. “At OPS 2023, we’ll explore the energy and resources that go into getting produce on the shelves, the specific challenges that contribute to wasted food at scale, and how actionable data can enable us to better understand what’s happening upstream to drive new efficiencies and transform the food value chain.”

Divert removes 900 million pounds of carbon annually by preventing wasted food from reaching landfills and instead converting it into renewable energy. The company is also committed to recovering and donating edible food to communities in need, with nearly 11 million pounds of food donated since 2018.

OPS 2023 is a two-day event specifically designed to bring together organic fresh produce growers, shippers, and processors with retailers and buying organizations from across North America. The seventh annual event will be held July 12-13 at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, CA.

More than ever before, we need to collectively educate and learn to value food at all points of its lifecycle—from how it was grown from a seed, to the people and transportation that went into bringing it to a store, and beyond." - Ryan Begin

In addition to Begin’s keynote presentation, a series of educational sessions at OPS 2023 will focus on sustainability, the growing importance of CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture), new organic rules and regulations, the power of plants, and organic produce sales and changing consumer purchasing behavior in an era of inflation.

OPS 2023 will also include a selection of field tours for qualified retailers and buyers, a gala opening night reception, and a sold-out trade show floor featuring over 170 producers and processors of organic fresh produce from across North America and the globe.

Registration to attend OPS 2023 is available at www.organicproducesummit.com.