The US discards 40 million tons of food a year. Find out why and how to help.

Confronting Food Waste and Solving the Problem by changing consumption behavior

Just how much food do Americans waste? While the world wastes about 1.4 billion tons of food every year, the United States discards more food than any other country in the world: nearly 40 million tons. That’s estimated to be 30-40% of the entire US food supply, and equates to 219 pounds of waste per person every year. Why?

1.4

tons of food wastes everyday

40

tons of food discarded

219

pounds of waste/person every year

30 - 40

% entire supply

80

of americans discard good food

Some reasons…

More than 80% of Americans discard perfectly good food because they misunderstand expiration labels. The world needs a change in consumer behavior and to achieve it we need individual and collective commitment.

Join this cause with your donation, we are ready to face the biggest challenges.

Confronting Food Waste and Solving the Problem by changing consumption behavior

Americans are often impulsive in their food purchases, unrealistically assessing how much food is required, and as a result buying more food than they need or buying food they won’t actually eat. Our take-out society doesn’t use food in its entirety the way our ancestors used to. We underutilize leftovers and toss food scraps that can still be consumed or composted.

Wasting food has environmental
repercussions

Wasting food has irreversible environmental consequences: it wastes the water and energy it took to produce it, and generates greenhouse gases like methane, carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons, which contribute to global warming. According to the World Wildlife Federation, the production of wasted food in the United States is equivalent to the greenhouse emissions of 37 million cars.

And economic
repercussions too

According to the nonprofit organization Feeding America, Americans waste more than $218 billion each year on food. Waste coming first from America’s homes (43%) and restaurants, grocery stores and food service companies (40%), where people throw out food, followed by farms (16%) and manufacturers (2%)

37

Millions of cars

40

% of food waste from companies

218

food waste every year - America

37

% of food waste from homes and restaurants

02

% of food waste from farms and manufacturers

The challenge isn’t produce less food, but to waste less in the process.
Here’s how we can start:

Don’t misinterpret expiration labels on food that’s perfectly good to eat.

1

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Food Marketing Institute, and Harvard University have combined efforts to streamline expiration labels about the quality and safety of food. Two phrases simplify how you can tell what’s still good to consume:


BEST IF USED BY describes quality “where the product may not taste or perform as expected but is safe to consume”; USE BY applies to “the few products that are highly perishable and/or have food safety concern over time.”
Learn how to compost to keep food scraps out of landfills, and the amount of greenhouse gases from rising. Freeze food that can’t be eaten immediately, but could be consumed at a later date.

Share the wealth.

2

Donate food to food pantries or deliver leftovers to people who may need it. Plan meals and make deliberate grocery store shopping lists. Fruits and veggies with blemishes and flaws still taste the same and are typically a fraction of the cost. In addition to saving food, you’ll save money in the long run. Embrace imperfect produce.

 

 

 

Plan meals and make deliberate grocery store shopping lists.

3

Fruits and veggies with blemishes and flaws still taste the same and are typically a fraction of the cost. In addition to saving food, you’ll save money in the long run. Embrace imperfect produce.

 

 

 

 

 

Reducing the Waste at America’s Restaurants

4

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household spends more than $3,000 a year on eating out. This not only requires an astonishing amount of plastic packaging and utensils, but it also produces a lot of wasted food.

 

What is the Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy?

1

Source Reduction.

This goes back to the simple lesson of “only take what you need.” If we buy and create less food, we’ll throw less out.

2

Feed Hungry People.

Much of the food we throw out is perfectly edible. With 50 million people expected to suffer from food insecurity in 2022 alone, this is unacceptable. Food banks and shelters across the country would welcome the food that many Americans throw away.

3

Feed Animals.

Humans aren’t the only ones who need to be fed — our animals need sustenance too. Those food scraps we toss after dinner each night — that will surely end up in a landfill — can be saved for feeding farm animals.

4

Industrial Uses.

Did you know that some of the food you toss can be used to create biofuel and bio-products that could power your car? The earth has provided alternative energy in the form of sun and wind. Why shouldn’t our food be yet another way to source power?

5

Composting.

Near the bottom of the Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy is something every single person is capable of doing: composting their food waste. Composting not only prevents your food waste from entering a landfill (and creating even more greenhouse gases), but also improves soil and water quality that in turn, help future crops grow.

6

Landfill/Incineration.

This is the bottom of the Food Waste Hierarchy — and the last, final resort to the waste that we produce. Avoiding this tier starts with each and every one of us, by preventing waste at the top of the tier — right where it’s sourced and where we can make different decisions about how much we take, buy and create.

2050

Year

The UN predicts that by 2050, food production will need to increase by 70% in order to match global population growth. Without improvements to existing supply chains, this increase will result in much more waste.

70

% of food production will need to increase

Combined with the need for greater food production, this global challenge represents an opportunity for investors to support the shift to a more sustainable future. The world needs a change in consumer behavior and to achieve it we need individual and collective commitment. Join this cause with your donation, we are ready to face the biggest challenges.