“In the U.S., a staggering 38 percent of food goes unsold or uneaten,” says Renee Albrecht, a senior policy advocate for food and freshwater at the World Wildlife Fund. “That’s the equivalent of about 145 billion meals a year and the annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent from around 30 percent of the country’s passenger vehicles.” Does food waste have your attention yet?

Food loss and waste 101

“Food loss and waste happens along the entire food supply chain,” says WWF’s Renee Albrecht. (“Loss” occurs before food reaches consumers during harvesting, processing, or storage. It accounts for about 30 percent of all unsold or uneaten food in the U.S.)

While some food loss or waste is inevitable, the entire food system—from farm to consumer—can do better.

“In grocery stores, we see promotions like two-for-one deals that lead to overpurchasing of food,” says Albrecht. And when stores overstock produce sections and meat or deli counters to create a look of abundance, some of the unsold food gets trashed.

At restaurants, “plate waste” (food that’s served but not eaten) accounts for 70 percent of the food that gets tossed.

“Huge portion sizes, as well as complimentary bread or chips, contributes to waste,” says Albrecht. “The same goes for buffets that make it easy to put way more food on your plate than you’ll eat.”

But it’s not just supermarkets and restaurants. “Nearly half of all food lost or wasted in the U.S. happens in our own households,” says Albrecht.

“Spoilage, not wanting to eat leftovers, and confusion over date labels with phrases like ‘sell by,’ ‘use by,’ or ‘best by’ are all drivers.”

By one estimate, roughly 7 percent of all uneaten food is due to confusion over date labels.

Tossed food comes at a cost

Higher prices

“When we waste food, we waste not just the food itself, but all the underlying resources that go into growing, processing, distributing, and disposing of it,” Albrecht explains. “Think about all the inputs like water, fertilizer, farmland, labor, and energy. Wasting all those resources drives up the cost of food.”

Environmental harm

“Twenty-two percent of our freshwater and 16 percent of cropland is used to produce food that’s not eaten,” says Albrecht. “Food loss and waste accounts for about 6 percent of U.S. annual greenhouse gas emissions.”

It’s not just producing the wasted food that generates greenhouse gases.

“When we dispose of food in a landfill, it releases methane,” says Albrecht. “Landfills are the third largest source of U.S. methane emissions.” Nearly 60 percent of landfill methane comes from food.

Surplus food should ideally be used to feed people or animals, Albrecht notes. Short of that, food waste and scraps should be composted.

Some good news on food waste

“In June, the Biden-Harris administration released the federal government’s national strategy for cutting food loss and waste in half by 2030,” says Albrecht. “It’s exciting to see the government leaning into this issue.”

That could include support for composting, turning food waste into fuel, improving refrigeration throughout the supply chain, teaching con­-
sumers about the costs of food waste, and more.

“We’re also seeing companies finding creative ways to ensure that food is feeding people,” adds Albrecht.

And according to a recent report surveying roughly 50 percent of the grocery market in Pacific Coast states, the amount of unsold food in the region dropped by 28 percent between 2019 and 2022.

Finally, more and more cities and private companies are offering compost collection.

“We all have an important role to play,” says Albrecht. “Together, we can foster a deeper appreciation for our food and all of the resources that go into it.”