Food waste and food rescue
In the United States, more than enough food is produced to feed everyone. However, millions of pounds of perfectly good food go to waste yearly. At the same time, 44 million people in the United States face hunger.
Feeding America, the country’s largest food rescue organization, partners with food manufacturers, grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers to rescue food and deliver it to food banks.
What is food waste?
Food waste is safe; high-quality food is thrown away instead of eaten. Food waste can happen for many reasons, such as:
- Food that is not eaten and thrown away at homes, stores, and restaurants
- Crops that are left in fields because of low prices or overproduction
- Problems during food transportation and manufacturing
- Food that does not meet retailers’ standards for appearance or color
How much food goes to waste?
Each year, 80 million tons of food is wasted in the United States. That’s the same as 149 billion meals. And over $444 billion in food is thrown away each year. Shockingly, 38% of all food in America is wasted.
80M tons of food goes to waste each year.
38% of all food goes unsold or uneaten.
149B meals' worth of food goes to landfills.
46% of food waste comes from the food industry.
How we address food waste
We work with farmers, manufacturers, and retailers to stop commercial food waste at the source. Our most powerful weapon against food waste is food rescue. We collect high-quality food that would otherwise go to waste and distribute it to organizations fighting hunger.
Rescuing food
We keep high-quality food out of landfills. Last year, the Feeding America network and its partners rescued 4 billion pounds of groceries. That food went directly to meals for people facing hunger.
Preventing food waste
We identify food at risk of going to waste, offer rescued food to food banks, and safely ship the food to partners. We invest nearly $40 million to help local food banks address food waste.
Helping companies
Our free MealConnect app makes it easy for local businesses, such as grocery stores and food companies, to donate surplus food to food banks in their area. Since launching, MealConnect has kept 5.3 billion pounds of food out of landfills.
How you can help
Every day, millions of pounds of perfectly good food go to waste in the United States, while millions of people experience food insecurity. Feeding America is working hard to change that, and you can help.
Prevent food waste at home
Prevent food waste at home, such as planning meals, storing food properly, and using food in clever ways.
Support our food rescue efforts
Your financial support can help us rescue even more food from landfills. Your donation helps us store and transport food to food banks and meal programs in the Feeding America network.
Involve your company
If you work for a company that produces or sells food, there are many ways to get involved. We can help you connect with a local food bank and develop a food rescue program.