What are we doing about it?
How the government and society deal with food waste.
The U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) facilitates this system for organizations, businesses, society, and individuals to follow.
Wasted Food Scale:
The scale is divided into tiers that show different ways to reduce or manage food waste, with the best options listed on the top left and the least preferred on the top right. Pathways within the same tier are considered equally effective.
The most beneficial options, such as preventing waste, donating, and upcycling, both focus on keeping food in the system to feed people and support a circular economy. On the other hand, the least preferred methods, like landfilling, burning, or sending food down the drain, cause the most environmental harm and offer little opportunity for reuse or recovery.
Prevent Waste: The most effective solution. Avoiding food waste from the start saves all the water, energy, and labor used to grow, process, and transport that food.
Donate: Extra or unsold food can be donated to people in need. This keeps food out of landfills and helps reduce hunger.
Upcycle: Food scraps or less desirable parts (like orange peels or broccoli stems) can be turned into new food products instead of being thrown away.
Feed Animals: Food that’s no longer safe or suitable for people can be processed into animal feed, reducing the need to grow feed crops.
Leave Unharvested: When crops can’t be sold or used, it is better to leave them in the field to enrich the soil, especially if harvesting would just lead to waste.
Anaerobic Digestion (with beneficial use): Wasted food can be broken down without oxygen to produce renewable energy and fertilizer-like materials that help soil.
Compost: Organic waste can be turned into compost, which boosts soil health and reduces erosion while recycling nutrients.
Anaerobic Digestion (with disposal): If the leftover material from digestion isn’t reused, valuable nutrients are lost, even if some energy is created.
Land Application: Some raw food waste is spread directly onto land to improve soil, but results vary depending on what’s applied.
Landfill: A major source of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Around 24% of what’s in U.S. landfills is food.
Incineration: Burning food waste provides little energy and destroys valuable nutrients.
Down the Drain: Pouring food waste down the drain leads to methane emissions from sewers and puts extra pressure on wastewater treatment systems.
Objective 1: Prevent Food Loss
This goal focuses on stopping food from being lost early in the supply chain, during harvesting, processing, storage, and distribution. It includes:
Improving harvesting methods and coordination among farmers, businesses, and food banks.
Using new technology and biotech to reduce spoilage and predict demand.
Supporting government programs that help donate surplus food.
Upcycling leftover food into new products or animal feed.
Enhancing packaging and transportation to prevent spoilage.
Objective 2: Prevent Food Waste
This strategy aims to reduce food waste at the consumer and retail levels through:
Public education on storing food, meal planning, and reducing waste.
Partnering with businesses to improve packaging, labeling, and portion sizes.
Making food donation easier and more effective.
Investing in research, data collection, and new technologies.
Sharing knowledge globally to improve worldwide food waste efforts.
How the Government is Dealing with the Problem
On June 12, 2024, the White House, along with the EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, released the four-part National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics. This National Strategy lays out a path for the United States to meet its national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030.
Objective 3: Increase Recycling of Organic Waste
This goal focuses on turning organic waste, like food scraps, into useful products through:
Expanding composting and anaerobic digestion facilities.
Supporting local composting efforts and community education.
Promoting the use of compost in farming and landscaping.
Using data tools to measure emissions and recycling impacts.
Reducing contamination in organic waste by promoting better packaging and processing methods.
Objective 4: Support Waste Reduction Policies
This objective strengthens national and local policies that reduce food loss and support recycling. It includes:
Working with international partners and supporting global food waste goals.
Helping governments adopt better waste strategies using the EPA’s Wasted Food Scale.
Promoting sustainable purchasing and compost use at the federal level.
Sharing success stories and resources through networks.
Supporting underserved communities with training and access to funding.