This document discusses food waste in the United States across the food value chain. It notes that 52 million tons of food waste comes from consumer-facing businesses and consumers, with a recovery rate of less than 10%. Food scraps are difficult and costly to recycle due to high water content and low market values for end products compared to other recyclables like plastics. As a result, municipalities and businesses have prioritized other materials for recycling over food scraps.

3. 13
recycled,3
primarily for animal feed. Large manufacturers have an advantage in diverting
waste from landfill because the predictability of quantity and quality of the waste stream
reduces risk for customers who use it for animal feed or energy generation.
In contrast, the 52 million tons of food waste derived from consumer-facing
businesses and consumers reflects an estimated recovery and recycling rate of less
than 10%.4
Recycling of food scraps has lagged behind rates achieved for other
materials. Food scraps are composed of 70% water, requiring transport costs without
any corresponding revenues, while the market values for the energy and compost
end products made from scraps are relatively low compared to plastics and metals.
For these reasons, municipalities and businesses have prioritized recycling schemes
for other materials.

4. ReFED | A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent 14
WHY DOES FOOD WASTE OCCUR?
The reasons for food waste are numerous and complex across the food
value chain. Here are some examples of why it occurs:
FARMS Food loss starts at the production level. Low market prices
and high labor costs often make it uneconomical for farmers to harvest
all that they produce. Strict cosmetic standards result in insufficient
demand for imperfect-looking produce (i.e. oversized zucchinis or bent
carrots). Despite gleaning and farm-to-food-bank efforts to recover this
unharvested food, the vast majority is left in the fields to be tilled under.
MANUFACTURERS While current recycling levels are highest among
food processors and manufacturers, customer demand for a wide
variety of products continues to cause inefficiencies. Each time a
production line is changed it must be emptied and cleaned. Products
can require trimming for use in end products, leading to edible parts
going unused (e.g. ends and skins).
CONSUMER-FACING BUSINESSES (Grocery Retailers, Restaurants,
Institutions & Foodservice) Customers demand a variety and
consistency of food availability that strains inventory management and
food purchasing. Businesses are reluctant to change stocking practices
or product sizes if those practices are intricately tied to their brand
identities. Also, high customer standards for freshness lead businesses
to dispose of safe, edible food when it is perceived to be past its prime.
HOMES The demand for variety and abundance of food creates waste at
home. For example, consumers may want a different kind of cuisine each
night but lack the knowledge of how to repurpose ingredients and store
food properly. As much as 55% of food purchases are unplanned, which
leads to over purchasing and food spoilage. Many families are tempted
into bulk purchases of food that they will never consume to get a good
deal on per-unit costs. A lack of standardization of date labels often leads
consumers to throw away food before it’s spoiled, causing an estimated
20% of at-home food waste.5
Consumers also have limited access to
municipal organics food waste recycling programs in most cities and
perceive several barriers to composting at home.
WHICH FOODS GET WASTED?
Nearly 80% of food waste comes from perishable foods, which include prepared
fresh deli items, meats, fruits and vegetables, seafood, milk and dairy, and some
grain products such as bread and bakery items. In contrast, non-perishable foods —
pastas, canned goods, and highly processed, shelf-stable products — are generally
wasted less because they don’t spoil as easily.
Perishables often get discarded because they are inexpensive and quickly go bad.
Pound per pound, fruits and vegetables are among the least expensive and fastest
spoiling foods, constituting over 40% of total food waste. Conversely, seafood and
meats are the two least wasted and most expensive food types.*
More examples of food loss
throughout the supply chain
can be found in NRDC's report
"Wasted: How America Is
Losing Up to 40 Percent of
Its Food from Farm to Fork to
Landfill" 6
and from the Food
Waste Reduction Alliance.
* While there is limited seafood wasted at the consumer level, large amounts of seafood are wasted
during the production phase, with some estimates of up to 50% wasted as a result of seafood bycatch.

5. 7