When food is wasted, so are all of the resources that went into producing it—land, labor, water, fuel, and energy.
Between 35-40% of food produced in the United States goes to waste. Source: EPA
If we saved just 25% of the food currently wasted, it would be enough to feed all food insecure Americans. Source: EPA
The average family of four spends $1,500 per year on uneaten food. Source: NRDC
Every year in the United States, wasted food consumes:
5.9 trillion gallons
140 million acres
35.3 million tons
In the United States, loss and waste occur at each stage of the supply chain, with the majority happening at consumer-facing businesses and in homes. Food waste is systemic in nature, and what happens at one stage is often influenced by something that happens at another stage, either upstream or downstream. Surplus food breaks out across the supply chain as follows:
When food waste rots in landfills, it emits methane, a climate super pollutant 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. If global food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world. Source: CalRecycle
The scale at which food waste is happening is shocking. Fortunately, solutions have been identified across the food system that hold potential to significantly reduce our food waste, both at home and at food businesses.
Residents, business owners, nonprofit leaders, and elected officials are all rallying to advance our community’s efforts toward reducing wasted food.
