In the United States, a paradox exists: while millions of Americans struggle with food insecurity, an enormous amount of food goes to waste every day. This disconnect between abundance and scarcity highlights a critical issue in our food system that demands immediate attention and action.
“Food waste and hunger harms more than 34 million Americans,” said Delaware Senator Chris Coons, who introduced the New Opportunities for Technological Innovation, Mitigation, and Education to Overcome Waste Act (NO TIME TO Waste Act) to congress a year ago. “By addressing food loss and waste, we can improve children’s health, fight malnutrition, and even protect our environment without putting more strain on family farms across the country.”
The federal government is trying to tackle the problem with the National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics and National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
“These strategies have helped bring together business and nonprofit leaders, grassroots organizers, policymakers, and others who care about these issues to mobilize around them,” says Spoonfuls, a non-profit that facilitates the recovery and distribution of healthy, fresh food that would otherwise be discarded.
The Scale of the Problem
The statistics paint a stark picture of the current situation. According to the USDA, in 2023, 13.5 percent of U.S. households—approximately 18 million families—experienced food insecurity.
This means that millions of Americans lack consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. The USDA estimates that:
- 47.4 million people lived in food-insecure households.
- 12.2 million adults lived in households with very low food security.
- 7.2 million children lived in food-insecure households in which children, along with adults, were food insecure.
- 841,000 children (1.2 percent of the Nation's children) lived in households in which one or more child experienced very low food security.
Simultaneously, food waste continues to be a massive problem. The UN reports that more than one billion meals are wasted across the world each day, while 800 million people go hungry.
“Food waste is a market failure that results in the throwing away of more than $1 trillion worth of food every year,” says the UN. “Just as urgently, food waste is failing people: even as food is being thrown away at scale, up to 783 million people are affected by hunger each year, and 150 million children under the age of five suffer stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of essential nutrients in their diets.”
In the United States alone, it's estimated that 30-40 percent of the food supply goes to waste. This translates to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food annually.
“In the United States, the average family of four spends $1,500 each year on food that ends up uneaten,” says The White House.
Environmental Impact
The environmental consequences of food waste are equally alarming. Nearly a fifth of all food produced globally ends up in landfills, generating roughly 8-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
When food decomposes in landfills, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere.
Moreover, wasted food represents a significant drain on natural resources:
- Land: Millions of acres are used to grow food that's never eaten.
- Water: Billions of gallons of water are used to produce wasted food.
- Energy: Substantial energy is consumed in the production, transportation, and storage of food that ends up discarded.
The White House says that food is the single most common material found in landfills, comprising 24 percent of municipal solid waste in landfills, and that 61 percent of methane generated by landfilled food waste is not captured by landfill gas collections systems and is released into the atmosphere.
Recent Initiatives and Policies
Recognizing the urgency of this issue, governments and organizations are taking action.
In June 2024, the Biden-Harris administration released the National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics. This comprehensive plan aims to cut food waste in half by 2030, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
At the legislative level, the NO TIME TO Waste Act has gained bipartisan support in Congress. This act proposes to standardize food date labels nationwide, potentially reducing confusion that leads to unnecessary food waste.
Several states have also implemented their own initiatives. For instance, Massachusetts expanded its Organics Waste Ban in 2022, prohibiting the disposal of commercial organic waste by businesses and institutions that generate more than half a ton of food waste per week.
“Businesses like grocery stores and wholesalers that deal with a lot of food also deal with a lot of potential waste. Yet just because food can’t be sold doesn’t mean it isn’t still valuable (literally valuable and valuable to people who need it),” says Spoonfuls.
Technological Solutions
Innovation is playing a crucial role in addressing food waste:
- AI and Machine Learning: These technologies are being used for demand forecasting and inventory management, helping businesses more accurately predict food needs and reduce overstock.
- Blockchain Technology: By improving traceability in the food supply chain, blockchain helps identify inefficiencies and reduce waste.
- Mobile Applications: Apps like Too Good To Go and Flashfood connect consumers with discounted surplus food from restaurants and stores, preventing perfectly good food from going to waste.
Consumer-Level Solutions
Individuals can make a significant impact in reducing food waste:
- Understanding Date Labels: Learn the difference between "use-by" and "best-before" dates. "Use-by" dates are about safety, while "best-before" dates are about quality.
- Smart Shopping: Take inventory before shopping and create meal plans to avoid overbuying.
- Proper Storage: Store foods correctly to maximize freshness and longevity.
- Creative Cooking: Use slightly wilted produce in soups, smoothies, or baked goods.
- Composting: Turn food scraps into nutrient-rich soil for gardening.
Innovative Business Models
Several companies are building successful business models around reducing food waste:
- Imperfect Foods and Misfits Market sell "ugly" produce that doesn't meet conventional beauty standards but is perfectly edible.
- Full Harvest connects farms directly with food and beverage companies to purchase surplus and imperfect produce.
- Apeel has developed a plant-based coating that extends the shelf life of produce.
Food Recovery and Redistribution
Food recovery efforts are crucial in addressing both food waste and food insecurity:
- Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, works with food manufacturers, retailers, and farmers to rescue food that would otherwise go to waste.
- Food Recovery Network empowers college students to fight food waste and hunger by recovering perishable food from their campuses and communities.
- City Harvest in New York City and Second Servings in Houston rescue food from restaurants, grocers, and other food businesses to redistribute to those in need.
These efforts not only prevent food waste but also provide millions of meals to food-insecure individuals and families.
Steps You Can Take Today
Addressing food waste and food insecurity requires action at all levels—from individuals to businesses to governments. Here are some steps you can take today:
- Conduct a food waste audit in your home to identify areas for improvement.
- Plan meals and shop with a list to avoid overbuying.
- Learn proper food storage techniques to extend freshness.
- Use or freeze food before it spoils.
- Donate excess non-perishable food to local food banks.
- Support businesses and restaurants that have food waste reduction programs.
- Advocate for food waste reduction policies in your community.
By taking these steps, we can all contribute to reducing food waste, fighting food insecurity, and creating a more sustainable food system for future generations.
