John Lowrey – The Conversation

Food banks tend to be large and have lots of special equipment that increases their efficiency. Li Rui/Xinhua via Getty Images

July 6, 2026

Why only 13% of surplus food gets donated by US supermarkets and other retailers to help hungry people – and how food pantries are trying to gather more

John Lowrey, Northeastern University

Picking up food more frequently from supermarkets doesn’t close the gap between what’s donated and could be donated, a supply chain scholar explains.

Farmworkers at Del Bosque Farms pick and pack melons on a mobile platform in Firebaugh, Calif., in July 2021. AP Photo/Terry Chea

April 8, 2025

Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research

John Lowrey, Northeastern University; Timothy Richards, Arizona State University, and Zachariah Rutledge, Michigan State University

At a time when California’s farm operators are struggling to hire enough people, providing better benefits could attract more workers who are citizens or have legal immigration status.

This new food pantry opened on Long Island in September 2024. Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images

September 26, 2024

Grocery stores that donate expiring food − instead of price discounting or discarding − make higher profits

John Lowrey, Northeastern University

Supply chain improvements could help lower the food insecurity rate and reduce food waste while boosting profits for retailers.

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