U.S. Wastes Almost Half of Food, Most Clogging Landfills

By Erin WeaverThe United States is “essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path,” according to Dana Gunders of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). A new NRDC report reveals that up to 40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted each year—the equivalent of $165 billion annually.

Food waste is the single largest component of solid waste in U.S. landfills, with a 50% increase in food waste since the 1970s. “Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill” finds losses at every level of the supply chain and offers tips for minimizing them. The report notes that grocery stores lose up to $15 billion annually in produce, partly from the “unnecessary abundance” in produce displays, which accelerate spoilage. The majority of losses occur in restaurants and homes, with people taking servings two to eight times larger than recommended and discarding leftovers. (If food must be disposed of, the greenest option is diverting it to a municipal composting facility; see “Composting Is Winner in Food Waste Disposal Study,”

EBN Sept. 2011.)

The report calls for collaboration between government, businesses, and consumers, noting that a five-year public awareness campaign in the U.K. has helped reduce food waste there by 18%. More information is available at www.nrdc.org.