The total value of food wasted in the US is estimated at $218,000,000,000 per year.

Every year, as reported by ReFED (Rethink Food Waste Through Economics and Data), 40% (25 million tons) of food waste in the US is thrown out by businesses that cater towards consumers such as supermarkets, restaurants, and institutional vendors. American households are responsible for 43%, with 27,000,000 tons of food wasted annually.

The UN Environmental Programme estimates that a third of global food production, about 1.4 billion tons of food, is wasted annually.

The US and Canada accounted for 144 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, almost four trillion gallons of water, and nearly 44 million acres of farmland in 2019 from food waste alone. 6.7 percent of the Earth’s emissions are derived solely from wasted food.

Less than 10% of food waste is recovered or recycled, due mainly to inefficient inventory management, large portion sizes, and picky customers expecting a wide selection of visually perfect produce.

Food loss, the food rejected after it was harvested but before it was sold, however, is handled better; most is used for animal feed or composted to improve the soil.

The majority of food waste comes from homes and derives from improper storage, misinterpretation of expiration dates, improper planning, and impulse buying. The average consumer loses more than $1400 annually on wasted food, averaging one pound per person thrown out every day.

34% of fresh water used every year in the US is wasted on food that is thrown out. It also causes contamination of water from fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste. The land used on wasted food also adds to habitat loss, deforestation, soil degradation. and reduced biodiversity. 22% of MSU (municipal solid waste) in landfills is made of food waste, and its decomposition produces methane.

In 2015, the USDA and EPA announced the US’s 2030 goal of cutting food waste in half. They’re starting with government policies, industry incentives, and public education. Their next priority is recovering good food for people in need, and after that is redirecting waste from landfills and recycling it. According to ReFED, retailers could save $1.3 billion and 571,000 tons of food waste every year by using waste analysis systems, which would inform them what inventory was going to waste. 400,000 tons and $1.8 billion could be saved by standardizing expiration dates, as of 90% of consumers toss out food that is safe to eat because of misunderstandings with “sell by,” “use by,” and “best before” labels, which usually reference quality, not safety.

Finally, an essential step towards preventing food waste is public education. ReFED suggests that 584,000 tons of food waste, valued at 2.65 billion dollars, could be saved with public education and advocacy. There are many ways to reduce waste on a personal scale. By freezing leftovers, planning meals, shopping from a list, avoiding impulse buys, and composting, individuals can play their part and make a big impact.

I was really excited to learn about food waste, and I think it was appropriate to start with one of Gale’s topic overviews. So yes, this piece is mainly focusing on numbers and data, but I still thought it was very interesting. Some of the statistics, like how a third of global food production is wasted, and how an average of one pound of food is wasted per person daily, are shocking.

I don’t think I have as much to say about this piece as I usually do, but I think that’s to be expected, since this information is pretty general and I had a pretty good idea of the things covered.

I plan to follow up this topic and continue to cover food waste for a little while. I’d like to know more about preventative measures, different meats and their impacts, and avoiding plastic packaging. There’s more, too, and I’m excited to find out more about it. Stay tuned to learn with me!

“Food Waste.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/FQWLTU740020088/OVIC?u=ante588&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=7fc70fce. Accessed 14 Aug. 2022.