The USDA estimates that more than 40% of the food grown in the US is never made available for people to eat—much of it is left in fields after the harvest. Much more is deemed excess or unmarketable because it is not pretty enough. It is plowed over or dumped into landfills, creating harmful greenhouse gases. And after the remaining food is delivered to supermarkets and restaurants, another 133 billion pounds of food is thrown away every year.
Food Waste in America
More information about food waste in the United States
EPA 2019 Wasted Food Report (April 2023)
NRDC Additional Research on Household Food Waste (February 2024)
USDA 2020 Economic Drivers of Food Loss at the Farm and Pre-Retail Sectors (January 2020)
ReFED Food Waste Infographics
ReFED How Food Waste Solutions Can Drive Methane Mitigation (October 2022)
Savethefood.com - Click here for great resources on how to prevent food waste in your own home.
Food Waste in America Quiz
Are you a food waste expert? Take this quiz to learn more about why food is routinely wasted in the United States!
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Food Waste Audit
Measure your food waste output! With Food Waste Audit, you can measure how much food waste you and/or your group produce. Use our free resource to learn about food waste and assess how much food was wasted at a single meal. Then do it again – and see if the education made a difference.
Make a difference today and reduce food waste!
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