Food should feed people, not fill landfills. Maximizing Food: Designing Systems to Utilize Surplus explores how New York City can more efficiently use the food that already reaches us—reducing waste, feeding more New Yorkers, and driving innovation across the food economy.
Hosted by the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy and the NYC Department of Sanitation, the event convenes leaders in food rescue, logistics, tech, food service, and policy to rethink how surplus food moves through the system. By improving efficiency, we can address food insecurity, advance food equity, cut emissions from landfills, and strengthen local businesses.
Two expert panels will highlight solutions across the supply chain—from modernizing infrastructure and technology to scaling rescue and redistribution efforts—followed by a collaborative session to shape strategies for a more equitable, circular food system.
Join us to reimagine how cities can turn food surplus into shared abundance. Light refreshments made from rescued ingredients will be served.
Speakers will include:
Milagros de Hoz, Director of Policy and Strategy at the Mayor's Office of Food Policy
Jennifer McDonnell, Deputy Commissioner of Solid Waste Management Planning at Department of Sanitation
Lisa Weingarten, Vice President of Portfolio Management at NYC Economic Development Corporation
Stefanie Katzman, CEO of Katzman
Evan Ehlers, Founder and Executive Director of Sharing Excess
Krietta Marley, Co-founder and VP Product Development of Foodprint Group
Anna Hammond, CEO and Founder of Matriark Foods
Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, CEO and Founder of One Love Community Fridge
Rich Cumming, CEO and Founder of Foodstream Network