Restaurants, grocers, and food manufacturers have teamed up with the federal government to find ways to cut billions of pounds of food waste at every step of the process – from the field through processing to groceries, restaurants and home fridges.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates we waste between 30% and 40% of the food supply each year. At the same time, USDA estimates 37 million people live in food-insecure households.
The National Restaurant Association and Food Waste Reduction Alliance—the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Food Marketing Institute, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the USDA, Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency pledging their support for the government’s “Winning on Reducing Waste Initiative.”
This private-public partnership aims to reach consumers with messages about food waste and improve information about how food waste and loss is measured.

ABOUT FOOD WASTE
Food waste is exactly what it sounds like, any food substance that is discarded. It can be raw or cooked, solid or liquid. It’s generated by the processing, handling, storage, sale, preparation, cooking and serving of foods; so it can happen anywhere along the supply chain, from the farm to the manufacturer to the retailer or restaurant, and in our homes or at work.
The opportunity and the need to reduce food waste has never been greater. Reducing food waste in the U.S. can deliver significant environmental, social and economic benefits. In addition to increasing food availability, this reduction can alleviate poverty and reduce pressure on ecosystems, climate and water. This is a critical element for closing the food gap between food available today and food needed for 2050 to adequately feed the planet’s projected 9.3 billion people.
FOOD WASTE’S SOCIAL IMPACT
Some of the food generated in the U.S. is not actually waste at all, it is safe to eat and nutritious. In these instances, the food can be donated to food banks and other anti-hunger organizations, keeping it out of landfills while helping those in need.
FOOD WASTE’S ECONOMIC IMPACT
Reducing the volume of food waste in food manufacturing, retailing and foodservice operations means the overall costs of these operations. Efficient, cost-effective companies are best positioned to deliver affordable products to consumers, grow, create jobs and support their communities.