At FoodStream our team seeks to understand the technical and logistical challenges associated with food acquisition and distribution that organizations and individuals face in their efforts to get food to people in need. We also recognize the importance of examining the socioeconomic, political and systemic factors in food systems that lead to food insecurity and hunger. Today, we look at food waste and the impact it has on the food system, what can be done to reduce food waste and how preventing food waste can help in the fight against hunger.
What is Food Loss & Food Waste?
Food loss is food that is lost in agriculture, food production, processing, storage or in the supply chain. Food waste is food not utilized at the retail or consumer level. This is food that is no longer edible or simply discarded for other reasons. Approximately 13% of all food produced globally is lost, and another 19% of food available to consumers is wasted at the retail, food service and household levels. In the United States over one third of food produced is lost or wasted. An estimated 89 million tons of food products are lost or wasted annually. 30% of that food is lost and the other 70% is wasted at the retail and consumer levels.
Causes of Food Loss & Waste
What causes such a high amount of food waste and loss? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) outlines some of the main causes:
Food loss occurs for many reasons, with some types of loss—such as spoilage—occurring at every stage of the production and supply chain. Between the farm gate and retail stages, food loss can arise from problems during drying, milling, transporting, or processing that expose food to damage by insects, rodents, birds, molds, and bacteria. At the retail level, equipment malfunction (such as faulty cold storage), over-ordering, and culling of blemished produce can result in food loss. Consumers also contribute to food loss when they buy or cook more than they need and choose to throw out the extras. (USDA.gov, Food Waste FAQs, 2. What causes food loss and waste?)
Why Does Food Loss & Waste Matter?
Food loss and waste impact the economy, environment, food security and health. Below are some of the key effects from food loss & waste.
- Results in a $1 trillion economic loss globally and a $470 billion economic loss in the U.S.
- Causes the price of food production and food to rise
- Is responsible for roughly 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- Uses almost a third of the world’s agricultural land
- Consumes roughly one-quarter of global freshwater
- Contributes to environmental degradation, pollution and habitat and biodiversity loss
- Increases global food insecurity and malnutrition
Limiting Food Waste
Food lost or wasted contributes greatly to greenhouse emissions and leads to financial loss for producers, distributors and consumers alike. Paradoxically, as food is being wasted, tens of thousands of people in the United States face some level of food insecurity or hunger. Additionally, community based organizations, local governments and individuals are seeing an ever increasing demand for food to help serve people in their communities facing hunger. This imbalance has led to a movement of food rescue for food donation, as well as food recovery of surplus inedible food for use as energy, compost and animal feed. Food that otherwise would be headed for a landfill, is now being sent to people that can use it.
This dichotomy of simultaneous waste and need has also led Federal, state and local government agencies and policymakers to implement strategies to reduce waste and encourage food rescue and recovery. In 2016, the USDA and EPA set a goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030. To achieve this, they stated businesses, restaurants and food producers must improve product development, storage, shopping/ordering, marketing, labeling, cooking methods, as well as by donating food that is not sold or utilized.
In New York State, businesses and institutions outside of New York City that generate an annual average of two tons of wasted food per week or more must donate excess edible food and recycle all remaining food scraps if they are within 25 miles of an organics recycler.
In New York City, to encourage food donation, the City government created an online portal called donateNYC to reduce the amount of edible food wasted by connecting businesses and nonprofits with excess food to community based organizations.
How to Get Involved in Food Rescue with FoodStream
At FoodStream, our vision is to build online resources that help food professionals connect and create healthier sustainable neighborhoods. Powered by AI, real-time data, and collective action, our team works with food businesses, retailers, agricultural producers, and community based organizations to help reduce food waste and provide food for communities and people in need.
For more information on how to reduce food waste, donate food or receive food donations, contact us at support@foodstreamnetwork.com
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