VC Reporter
Oct 23rd, 2025
By David Goldstein
This month, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates its 80th anniversary. Oct. 16 is World Food Day, and at FAO headquarters in Rome, the occasion will be marked by the opening of a Food and Agriculture Museum and Network. The event highlights global innovation and action to reduce hunger. Here in Ventura County, we face our own food security challenges.
According to Food Share, Ventura County’s regional food bank, one in four residents in the county struggles with food insecurity. That startling number is partly due to the high cost of living. Addressing this problem requires not only direct assistance to families, but also innovation in food recovery — finding ways to redirect edible food that would otherwise go to waste.
That is where the Ventura County Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ) comes in. Traditionally, RMDZ programs have supported companies that make products from recycled materials, providing state-funded incentives such as low-interest loans, grants and technical assistance. But with California’s Senate Bill 1383 expanding the definition of recycling to include edible food recovery, RMDZ has broadened its focus. Now, it helps food recovery organizations rescue food, distribute it efficiently and create opportunities
for local entrepreneurs.
One example is Saticoy Food Hub (SFH). With RMDZ assistance, funded by CalRecycle, SFH tested how much increased promotion would increase participation in a community refrigerator program. People with qualified types of food they no longer plan to consume would put food in the refrigerator, and people who are hungry could take it out. Before SFH could implement the test, the nonprofit organization had to buy a new refrigerator, so the RMDZ program funded that cost.
Before the project, SFH averaged 416 households per month served through its community refrigerator program. After installing an energy-efficient, three-door refrigerator and expanding outreach, that number jumped to 618 households per month. Food donations also increased by 25%.
Despite the increased refrigeration capacity, energy costs declined. SFH got rid of an old refrigerator and stored most of its items in this glass door unit, rather than a residential unit that previously required program participants to stand with the door open, examining inventory.
Part of the project involved outreach to the community, letting local entrepreneurs know that the RMDZ could help them, too. Five local food entrepreneurs — specializing in products like jam, honey, blended juices and barbecue sauce — expressed interest in expanding their businesses after learning about the program. These businesses currently operate under cottage food licenses, restricting them to just production of shelf-stable
food. Their growth potential depends on access to commercial kitchen space. SFH, guided by RMDZ, is now exploring the option of renting existing commercial kitchens during off-hours, a practical step toward fostering small business development alongside hunger relief.
Food Share, Ventura County’s largest food distribution nonprofit, is also preparing to expand its capacity with help from the RMDZ. Its current warehouse operations are limited by the pace of manual handling and the restrictions of standard forklifts. With partial funding from the RMDZ, Food Share plans to add a powered counterbalanced stacker — a safer, more maneuverable piece of equipment than a traditional forklift.
Unlike forklifts, the stacker does not require operator certification, so more volunteers and staff can use it. It also has a built-in scale, which allows donated food to be weighed and processed more quickly, increasing efficiency in sorting and loading.
This warehouse optimization project may sound technical, but its impact will be very real: Faster, safer handling of food means more donated food can be accepted and distributed.
World Food Day reminds us that hunger is both a global issue and a local one. While FAO highlights international efforts, Ventura County has its own network of innovators and problem-solvers. The RMDZ, through partnerships with organizations like Saticoy Food Hub and Food Share, shows how state recycling funds can be used creatively to meet SB 1383’s mandates and to fight hunger in our community.
Food insecurity in Ventura County will not be solved overnight. But with projects that expand food rescue, empower entrepreneurs and improve efficiency, we are building the systems we need for a more resilient, sustainable and nourished community.
David Goldstein, Environmental Resource Analyst with the Ventura County Public Works Agency, may be reached at david.goldstein@ventura.org or 805-658-4312.
