Alarming Facts About Food Waste

On World Food Day 2025 (Oct. 16) the environmental news website Earth.org released a list of food waste statistics. On this list are 23 facts about how we handle food and how it affects our environment. 

Their conclusion: The amount of global food waste is staggering, and “throw-out” culture not only costs the world trillions of dollars annually, but it’s also adding to the global climate emergency.

Each year, approximately 25-30% of all food produced worldwide — about 1.6 billion tons — is wasted. This equates to 1.3 meals every day for everyone in the world.

In 2019, the U.S. wasted almost 40% of the country’s entire food supply — 66 million tons of lost food within the retail, food service, and residential sectors. Approximately 60% of this waste was sent to landfills.

Facts and figures from the 2024 UN World Water Development Report show that agriculture accounts for nearly 70% of global freshwater usage, and 24% of that water is used to produce food that will ultimately be discarded.

Adding up all the resources the U.S. requires to grow food, scientists have calculated that food waste uses up to 21% of freshwater, 19% of fertilizer, 18% of cropland, and 21% of landfill volume.

Combined, households waste more than 1 billion meals worth of edible food daily, making them the biggest offender in food waste, responsible for 60% of lost food.

Earth.org cited a Respect Food survey, which notes that 63% of people don’t know the difference between “use by” and “best before” dates. Foods with a “use by” date are perishable and must be eaten before the expiration, while foods labeled “best before” can be consumed after the given date but may not be at the quality they were initially.

At grocery stores, large quantities of food are wasted based on appearance. Approximately 60 million tons of produce are thrown away in the U.S. due to aesthetics.

Special promotions in supermarkets may also contribute to more food waste, as consumers often buy more than is needed based on perceived value for their money.

Food waste is not just bad for the environment; it’s bad for your wallet. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that 92% of American household food waste ends up in a landfill or down the garbage disposal. The average family of four spends almost $3,000 per year on food that never gets consumed.

The EPA’s solution? Buy only what you need, eat what you buy, and waste as little as possible. They have guides for shopping, storing, and preparing food to not only save you money, but also to prevent food waste.

Looking for more ways to prevent food waste? The Food and Drug Administration has tips, videos, and diagrams for reference to help you understand proper food storage, which leads to less waste.