Food Waste In The U.S. Is Real

FEED THE PEOPLE. SAVE THE PLANET.

FOOD WASTE IN THE UNITED STATES

Up to 40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted

The EPA estimated food waste at

549 pounds

of food waste per person sent for disposal in 2021.

 

Here are some things to know about food waste in the U.S.

Millions of pounds of excess food ends up in landfills

  • In 2021, in the U.S. 91 million tons of food went unsold or were uneaten.
  • Instead of feeding people, the disposal of wasted food leads to more waste such as the unnecessary use of water, labor and energy to produce, process, transport, prepare, store, and dispose of discarded food.
  • In 2021, the EPA estimated food waste at 549 pounds of food waste per person sent for disposal. The EPA has a goal to reduce this food waste to 164 pounds per person by 2030.

Food in landfills contributes to climate change

Currently, food waste is contributing 8% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

This is largely because food that ends up in landfills and decomposes releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than CO2. Source: Washington Post

Americans generate more food waste than any other country. We throw away 40% of our food supply, which equates to an estimated 125-160 billion pounds of food each year. Source: FoodPrint

UNUSED FOOD, OVERFLOWING LANDFILLS, AND HUNGER ARE

INEXCUSABLE

AND UNNECESSARY HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHES.

Food Waste BY THE NUMBERS

Of the food wasted throughout the U.S., 42% is fresh fruits and vegetables and 26% is milk and dairy products.

A 15% reduction in food waste would not only reduce climate change, it would provide enough food for more than 25 million Americans each year.

On farms in the U.S., 20.2 billion pounds of food is wasted each year. Source: ReFED

Volunteers hand out packaged produce

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Two Food Rescue US volunteers smile together at the farmers market

How We Help

A Food Rescue US volunteer hands a bag of food to 2 women at a receiving agency

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