28 Facts about Food Waste Every Business Should Know

Reducing food waste can feel like an impossible challenge, given the scale of the problem. Yet there’s ample data available to demonstrate the strong business case for why every organization and household should take action to reduce food loss and waste. Below, we highlight the environmental impact of food waste, the value to your bottom line for taking action, and the most effective strategies for moving forward.

Facts about the scale of food waste

• In the United States, people throw away over $473 billion worth of food every year. (Source: Feeding America)
• An estimated $600 billion worth of food is lost globally during or just after harvest (Source: McKinsey & Co.) 
• Some datasets indicate that the amount of food waste generated in the United States has increased since 2010, when the USDA established its first goals for reducing food loss and waste. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

• The United States wastes more than 80 million tons of food each year, the equivalent of 149 billion meals or 33% of all food in America. (Source: ReFED)

• Around the world, one-fifth of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. This is the equivalent of approximately one billion meals every day. (Source: World Food Programme)

Facts about sources of food waste

• In the United States, over half of food waste comes from the food industry, from production through retail. (Source: Feeding America)
• At the consumer level, food waste can be attributed in part to misunderstandings of food labeling. A “Best By” or “Best Before” label indicates the date by which a product will be of best flavor or quality.  A “Use By” date is the last date recommended for use of the product while at peak quality. Food is still safe to eat after either date, until signs of spoilage are evident. (USDA)

Facts about the environmental impact of food waste

• When organic waste is sent to the landfill, it’s covered up by additional waste. Without access to circulating oxygen, bacteria and other microorganisms cannot break down organic waste as efficiently as they can when oxygen is present. The process isn’t just slow – this oxygen-free decomposition also generates methane. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
• Methane demonstrates global warming potential 84 to 87 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. As a result, reducing methane emissions can have a faster impact on alleviating climate change. (Source: U.S. International Energy Administration)
• Food waste is responsible for as much as 10% of all global carbon emissions. (Source: World Food Programme)
• In 2022, producing surplus food used 22.1 trillion gallons of water, representing 22% of the United States’ freshwater use. (Source: ReFED)

• Food decomposing in landfills is responsible for 58% of all municipal landfill methane emissions. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

• In 2022, producing surplus food used 22.1 trillion gallons of water, representing 22% of the United States’ freshwater use. (Source: ReFED)

Facts about the business value of reducing food waste

• 61% of consumers feel brands, stores and supermarkets should do more to help reduce waste – and 91% of consumers would prefer to purchase food from companies that are taking steps to reduce waste. (Source: Capgemini)
• Food waste ranks third among consumer’s most significant food-related concerns, coming in behind food prices and the healthiness of what people eat. (Source: MITRE)
• Ingka Group, IKEA’s largest retailer, became the first global company to demonstrate that achieving Target 12.3 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – which calls for halving the rate of food loss and waste by 2030 – is achievable. As a result of cutting food waste by 54% across restaurants in 32 markets, IKEA is able to save $37 million annually. (Source: Champions 12.3, World Resources Institute)
• Eleven states plus the District of Columbia have implemented some form of organic waste ban or recycling law in order to reduce the amount of organic waste going into landfills. (Source: ReFED)

• Over a four-year period from 2019 to 2022, grocery retailers on the Pacific Coast decreased the number of tons of unsold food in their regional operations by 25%, amounting to nearly 190,000 tons of food valued at $311 million. (Source: the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment)

• Commercial kitchens waste approximately 4% to 10% of the food they purchase before it ever reaches customers’ plates. For a restaurant with a $1 million annual food budget, that amounts to $40,000 to $100,000 of loss before the food ever leaves the kitchen. (Source: National Restaurant Association)

• For every dollar that restaurants invest in food waste reduction, they see approximately $8 in cost savings. (Source: ReFED, Champions 12.3)

Facts about food waste management strategies 

• The first step to reducing food waste is to understand the amount and types of food being wasted at your organization. Numerous free and data-based strategies are available to audit organizational food waste. (Source: Power Knot)
• The U.S. Food Donation Improvement Act of 2021 builds on the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996 by expanding liability protection to donations offered to recipients at a good Samaritan reduced price (a price no greater than the cost of handling, administering, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, and distributing the food) and extending protections to certain donations given by food businesses directly to those in need. (Source: Congress.gov)
• The United Kingdom is the first country to get more than halfway toward meeting the European Union’s SDG Target 12.3 of halving food waste by 2030. The UK’s success is the result of support from supermarkets and the food industry, as well as the impact of consumer education programs. (Source: Champions 12.3)
• There are two types of food digesters: aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic digesters are installed in a food production area to break down organic waste using naturally occurring microorganisms. Anaerobic digesters are typically used in landfills and at agricultural sites to break down food while capturing methane and other biogases. 
• The two types of food digesters do not have the same impact on the environment. The main byproduct of aerobic digesters is grey water. At present, anaerobic digesters are not currently efficient enough to capture all biogas and so release 10% to 40% of captured methane back into the atmosphere. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
• Silo, the world’s first zero-waste restaurant, takes a “bin first” approach to menu design. This philosophy pushes the London-based restaurant to work backwards through menu design and procurement to eliminate waste from its food system. (Source: Positive News, Silo)
• In a compost pile, decomposition can take anywhere from two weeks to two years, depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how frequently it is turned. (Source: Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection)
• Through use of a special blend of all-natural microorganisms, a Power Knot biodigester is able to decompose most food waste within 24 hours. (Source: Power Knot)

• The food waste hierarchy pyramid, borne out of the European Union’s 2008 waste framework directive, provides guidance on strategies for reducing the environmental impact of food waste from most to least impactful. (Source: Power Knot, European Union Directive 2008/98/EC)

Want more facts about how you reduce food waste in your organization? Visit our Center of Sustainability or contact a Power Knot representative today.