From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste

"Over one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten, wasting the resources used to produce it and creating a myriad of environmental impacts. Food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the United States, comprising 24 and 22 percent of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste, respectively. This wasted food presents opportunities to increase food security, foster productivity and economic efficiency, promote resource and energy conservation, and address climate change.

As the United States strives to meet the Paris Agreement targets to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, changes to the food system are essential. Even if fossil fuel emissions were halted, current trends in the food system would prevent the achievement of this goal. Globally, food loss and waste represent 8 percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (4.4 gigatons CO2e annually), offering an opportunity for meaningful reductions.

Reducing food waste can also help feed the world’s growing population more sustainably. The United Nations (UN) predicts that the world population will reach 9.3 billion by 2050. This population increase will require a more than 50 percent increase in food production from 2010 levels. Decreasing food waste can lessen the need for new food production, shrinking projected deforestation, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and water scarcity.

In 2015, the United States announced a goal to halve U.S. food loss and waste by 2030, but the nation has not yet made significant progress. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prepared this report to inform domestic policymakers, researchers, and the public about (1) the environmental footprint of food loss and waste (FLW) in the U.S. and (2) the environmental benefits that can be achieved by reducing U.S. FLW. The report examines the farm-to-kitchen (cradle-to-consumer) impacts of FLW, excluding the impacts of managing FLW (e.g., methane emissions from landfills), which will be covered in a separate companion report (The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste: Part 2).

Given the size and dynamic complexity of the U.S. food system, no single agreed-upon comprehensive estimate of the total amount of U.S. FLW exists. Instead, the literature includes multiple credible estimates, which differ in scope and methodology, that together provide insights into the magnitude and distribution of U.S. FLW. Estimates that include food lost or wasted during all stages of the food supply chain (from primary production to consumption) range from 73 to 152 million metric tons (161 to 335 billion pounds) per year, or 223 to 468 kg (492 to 1,032 pounds) per person per year, equal to approximately 35 percent of the U.S. food supply. Roughly half of this food is wasted during the consumption stage (households and food service), and fruits and vegetables and dairy and eggs are the most frequently wasted foods..."
Food waste and environmental impact 

Tips to Reduce Food Waste at Thanksgiving

"Each year, the average American family of four loses $1,500 to uneaten food — that’s about 1,160 pounds of food. With Thanksgiving around the corner, it is timely to think about how we as individuals can keep our household food waste in check.

Thanksgiving may be different this year, but we can still have a special celebration with a few adjustments. At the same time, we can reduce our food waste. For example, we may not need the turkey that serves 12 people when we have only six at the table. While many of us like turkey sandwiches the next day with a slice of pumpkin pie, we may waste a lot of perfectly good food if we over prepare and don’t take steps to freeze or store leftovers properly until they can be eaten. Wasting food is a waste of money that could be used elsewhere. As the USDA Food Loss and Waste Liaison, I would like to share with you a few tips that can help reduce food waste at our holiday meals and save you money.

Plan your holiday meal

Before you go to the grocery store or order online, plan and make a list to reduce the chance that you’ll buy more than you need. Research shows that making a written list can help shoppers avoid impulse purchases, which may include foods they don’t need. For turkey, one rule of thumb is to plan for one pound per person, or a pound and a half if you want leftovers. For smaller-than-normal gatherings, consider preparing only the favorite family side dishes to go with the main course. You might serve one type of your favorite rolls or dessert instead of several. If you want to prepare all of your family’s traditional dishes, consider cutting recipes in half if you are cooking for fewer people this year. If you do have guests who want to bring a dish, coordinate in advance on who is cooking which dish.

While preparing dishes, save the scraps for future cooking

Freeze scraps like vegetable peelings and meat trimmings for your future culinary creations. Use them later in savory broths and hearty soups to provide comforting warmth on cold days. Or cook the scraps to make other foods or ingredients. You can season potato peelings and bake them into chips, or sauté extra chopped onions to make recipe-ready caramelized onions.

Store or give away leftovers

Place food in clear containers marked with the contents and date. That can increase the chances that the leftovers in the fridge will be remembered and actually eaten. If you have guests who want leftovers, let them choose their favorite dishes so that their take-away food containers match what they will really enjoy. For example, guests who only like white turkey meat would likely waste a leftover drumstick or wing.

Be creative with your leftovers

My favorite post-Thanksgiving treat was when my mom made fritters with the leftover mashed potatoes for breakfast the next day. Extra rolls and bread that are getting stale can be made into bread pudding. Think about what your family did to save food from being wasted and add your own touch of creativity. Try your hand at making homemade turkey stock with the bones, or make turkey chili with leftover meat. Whip extra buttermilk or cream into French toast batter. You could even start a new family tradition of serving a pot of turkey soup on the weekend after Thanksgiving..."
Thanksgiving food waste 

Food Recovery Challenge

"How much of your food and money are you literally throwing away? The Food Recovery Challenge, a Sustainable Materials Management Initiative, challenges participants to reduce as much of their food waste as possible — saving money, helping communities, and protecting the environment..."