FOOD WASTE CHALLENGE

Food waste in the United States is estimated at roughly between 30 to 40% of the food supply. In 2010, an estimated 133 billion pounds of food from U.S. retail food stores, restaurants, and homes never made it into people's stomachs. The amount of uneaten food in homes and restaurants was valued at almost $390 per U.S. consumer in 2008, more than an average month's worth of food expenditures.  To combat this issue, USDA and EPA have launched the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, calling on others across the food chain—including producer groups, processors, manufacturers, retailers, communities, and other government agencies − to join the effort to reduce, recover, and recycle food waste. The goal of the Food Waste Challenge is to lead a fundamental shift in how we think about and manages food and food waste in this country. For its part, USDA is initiating a wide range of activities to reduce waste in the school meals program, educate consumers about food waste and food storage, and develop new technologies to reduce food waste.

Source: USDA 6/4/13, Challenge; Feeding America, Food Waste