The Impact of Food Waste
As we approach Thanksgiving, it's sobering to reflect on the staggering amount of food wasted throughout the year. From discarded crops in fields to overstocked restaurants to those forgotten berries at the back of your fridge, food waste occurs at every stage of the supply chain.
According to the nonprofit ReFED, nearly 240 million tons of food are wasted annually in our homes and at consumer-facing businesses alone.
The Supply Chain Breakdown
At the beginning of the supply chain, farms account for approximately 17 percent of all food waste. Many farmers grow surplus crops to offset unexpected weather events that might cause price shocks and prevent potential shortages. Unfortunately, when market prices drop too low to justify harvesting costs, excess crops are often left to wilt in the fields.
Then, the manufacturing process adds around 15 percent of food waste. Fresh produce must be washed, cut, and sorted. Processed foods require preparation and packaging. All of this must then be distributed to consumer-facing businesses like grocery stores and restaurants.
Next come the retailers, responsible for 20 percent of the total problem. Overly strict freshness standards drive much of the waste at this stage. Bananas with brown spots, egg cartons approaching their stamped dates are examples of routinely discarded goods. Shoppers perpetually search for the perfect tomatoes and the newest milk cartons on shelves. Retailers enable these preferences by constantly rotating older stock, even when the food is still perfectly edible.
Restaurants and all-you-can-eat buffets face similar pressures, with 70 percent of their waste coming from what customers leave on their plates.
Finally, the largest source of food waste at a whopping 48 percent, or 42.8 million tons annually, originates right in our homes! The average American throws away nearly 257 pounds of food each year. Improper food storage, lack of meal planning, and confusion over expiration labels lie at the heart of this senseless waste.
The Environmental Toll
Water and Energy: Wasted food in the United States consumes 5.9 trillion gallons of freshwater and 664 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year; the equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 50 million homes.
Land: Approximately 140 million acres of land, an area the size of California and New York combined, are used annually to produce food that is ultimately lost or discarded. This results in a 14 percent drop in biodiversity, playing a major role in the global extinction crisis.
Pesticides and Fertilizers: 778 million pounds of pesticides and 14 billion pounds of fertilizer are applied to wasted food every year. The resulting runoff degrades soil and water quality, impacting nearby communities and ecosystems. These fossil fuel–based and synthetic chemicals are also energy-intensive and toxic to produce.
Holding Ourselves Accountable
From farmers to retailers to consumers, we all play a critical role in this crisis and can influence the amount of food waste produced.
Addressing this challenge will require ongoing public outreach to close the knowledge gap about food waste prevention and build new habits—and it starts with each one of us.
M.E.P. Florida, a Florida juicing company, exemplifies how accountability can make a real difference. They eliminate waste at every stage—from careful sourcing in the supply chain to composting fruit byproducts from the juicing process, returning nutrients to the earth.
