The USDA has estimated the amount of food loss in the United States at $161 billion, based on a 2010 study. Statistics vary, but about 30% of produce harvested is wasted, with roughly 12% preventable pre-consumer food loss directly impacting profitability and sustainability. In addition to the direct cost of product loss, there are also substantial indirect costs of the associated labor, water and fertilizer use, logistics and transportation. Much of this waste is concentrated in the fresh fruit and vegetables sector, where the lack of quality consistency is a primary food loss driver and a significant consumer concern.
Food waste is so problematic that it initiated a statement from agriculture secretary Tom Vilasick and EPA deputy administrator Stan Meiburg in 2015 to announce the nation’s first-ever national food loss and waste goal, calling for a 50% reduction by 2030 as an initiative for governments, charitable/faith-based organizations and the private sector. Food loss by the FDA is defined as the edible amount of food post-harvest that is available for human consumption but is not consumed for any reason. It includes cooking loss and natural shrinkage (for example, moisture loss), loss from mold, pests or inadequate climate control and food waste. The U.S. Food Waste Challenge calls on entities across the food chain – farms, agricultural processors, food manufacturers, grocery stores, restaurants, universities, schools and local governments – to contribute in solving this problem.