Food Loss at the Farm Level 💓

Food Loss at the Farm Level

According to estimates from USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), at the retail and consumer level, about 30% of food in the US is wasted.

 Although most people are aware of the food they waste at restaurants and in their own homes, food loss happens all along the supply chain. The Food Availability Data System, which ERS uses to modify national estimates of food supplies for non-edible food components (such as bones and peels) and losses from farm to fork, is a key component of USDA's efforts to better understand food loss at the farm level.

 There are a number of reasons why edible crops are not sold. In other circumstances, market prices for those commodities could be too low to cover the expense of harvesting crops by making numerous trips across the field or orchard. In other instances, crops are left to perish because there aren't enough workers to harvest them.

 Finally, because fruits and vegetables ripen at different times in different regions, growers might have trouble finding customers for their products as their harvest season comes to a close because wholesale buyers might switch to other suppliers if better-quality produce becomes available in other areas.

 Since produce is more perishable than some commodities, such as grain crops, food loss is a problem that is particularly prevalent in the produce business. Overripe fruit that must be consumed within 1-2 days is sold directly to consumers at farm stands rather than entering the wholesale market.

 Without these marketplaces, mature fruit or fruit that is "cosmetically challenged" may be dumped in landfills or just left on the ground by harvesters.

 Different strategies have been developed by businesses and industries to lower food loss at the farm level. There is now a market for "seconds," which are edible crops that do not receive the highest quality required to be sold at conventional wholesalers.

 Produce that is too big, too small, or imperfect for the traditional market is collected and delivered to customers by specialized businesses with the goal of reducing food waste.

 Diverting crops away from the wholesale supply chain, however, could prevent further resource waste when harvested product is not of a high enough grade to be bought by a wholesaler. In this situation, farm-level food loss would be preferred over loss later in the supply chain.

 Why is food loss important to people? Resources are used up and down the farm-to-fork supply chain in the production, transportation, storage, and marketing of food that is grown but not eaten. Food production requires energy, water, pesticides, arable land, and fertilizer, and can harm the ecosystem due to nutrient runoff or the impact of pesticides on non-target creatures.

 Additionally, it was predicted in 2017 that 11.8 percent of American households lacked access to enough food for all family members to lead active, healthy lives at least occasionally.

 The USDA is pursuing remedies. The USDA continues to work toward reducing food loss and waste in order to end hunger, give farmers the opportunity to profit from every crop they grow, and save resources by using workshops, research, and other programs, such as the USDA and EPA's call for a 50% reduction in food loss and waste by 2030. Please refer to the USDA Food Loss page and an ERS report on food loss at the retail and consumer level for further details.

Food Waste FAQs

Food Waste FAQs

Food Waste FAQ

How much food waste is there in the United States?

According to estimates, between 30 and 40 percent of the food supply in the US is wasted. According to this estimate, which was based on data from the USDA's Economic Research Service, there were approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food lost at the retail and consumer level in 2010. The effects of this waste on society are extensive:

• Wholesome food that could have helped feed families in need is sent to landfills.

• Land, water, labor, energy, and other inputs are used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing of discarded food.

What causes food loss and waste?

Food loss can happen for a variety of causes, and some losses, like rotting, can happen at any point in the manufacturing and supply chain. Food loss can occur between the farm gate and the retail stage due to issues with drying, milling, transportation, or processing that leave food vulnerable to damage from insects, rodents, birds, molds, and germs. Food loss can occur at the retail level as a result of equipment breakdown (such as poor cold storage), over-ordering, and the culling of imperfect produce. When consumers buy or prepare more food than they need and decide to discard the excess, they are also contributing to food loss (Buzby et al. 2014).

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