Key Definitions & the Scale of the Problem

Food Loss: Pest damage to crops, transportation damage, crop spoilage because of farmer error or natural disasters

Food Waste: Occurs at the retail and consumer levels when uneaten food that is perfectly edible is discarded (mostly restaurants)

Global Impact: About 1/3rd of globally produced food for human consumption is lost or wasted every single year

U.S. Impact: Americans waste almost 133 billions pounds of food waste annually, which is worth roughly 161 billion dollars

Household Burden: Households surprisingly account for by far the largest share of food waste globally (60%), which is much more than the food service sector

What is the Problem and Why Does it Matter?

Environmental Strain: The production of food at a large scale requires mass resources. In the U.S., it accounts for 16% of total agriculture and 20% of freshwater use.

Climate Change: Food loss and waste generate up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, when trashed food rots in landfills, it produces methane—a highly poisonous greenhouse gas which has extremely negative effects on the environment

Economic cost: Food waste cost the global economy around $1 trillion each year, immensely impacting both local and national budgets