Verra has issued the first carbon credits under its VM0046 food loss and waste methodology, approving 721,649 Verified Carbon Units from the Brightly project in the United States. The credits cover food rescue activity from March 2020 to December 2023. Brightly says participating organizations rescued 15.3 billion pounds of surplus food, with 3.1 billion pounds qualifying for crediting after baseline and emissions adjustments. Food rescue avoids landfill methane, and the methodology uses a historical baseline to keep credits tied to additional activity. SCS Global Services verified the project, and BeZero gave the credits an A ex-ante rating. Feeding America says most net proceeds go back to food banks and rescue groups for trucks, refrigeration, and staff. With 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated each year, the pathway could scale beyond this first project. The open question is buyer demand for a new credit type tied to methane avoidance and food security.
