ReFED’s 2025 report reveals surplus food is costing $382 billion and generating significant environmental impacts, despite rising awareness and policy advances.
Nearly one-third of food in the U.S. is lost or wasted, according to new research from US-based nonprofit ReFED.
The ‘From Surplus to Solutions: 2025 U.S. Food Waste Report’ states that surplus food has rebounded to 73.9 million tonnes in 2025, following a brief decline during the Covid-19 pandemic. This represents 31 per cent of the nation’s food supply, valued at $382 billion or 1.4 per cent of the US GDP.
Using research conducted at Ohio State University, the report identifies the residential sector as the largest generator of waste, with consumers discarding nearly 25 million tonnes of food annually through uneaten groceries and restaurant plate waste, at an annual cost of $261 billion.
Meanwhile, food producers and businesses are responsible for generating 21.5 million tonnes of surplus food a year. Some momentum to address this waste is building, with 20 per cent of the top 65 food businesses across service, retail, and manufacturing now having specific food waste reduction targets.
"Despite record high food prices, and increased awareness of the food waste challenge, our analysis shows that surplus food remains high and we're still far off from meeting the 2030 reduction goal to halve wasted food," said Dana Gunders, president of ReFED. "But progress is being made, and our hope is that these bright spots demonstrate that change is possible—with the right combination of motivation, stakeholder alignment, and funding."
Comparatively, the European Union generated 59.2 million tonnes of food waste in 2022, according to Eurostat research published in September 2024. Of this, 32 million tonnes (54 per cent) was household waste.
Environmental impact of US food waste
Beyond economic costs, ReFED highlights the substantial environmental toll of food waste in the US, indicating that surplus food is responsible for 4 per cent of US greenhouse gas emissions. There is also an outsized impact on natural resources, with 16 per cent of US freshwater withdrawals being used to produce wasted food.
Significantly, production and supply chain emissions outweigh disposal emissions by a ratio of 92 per cent to 8 per cent, highlighting the importance of prevention over recycling.
ReFED also estimates that only 12 per cent of the 14.5 million tonnes of food that could be donated actually does, despite worsening food insecurity across the country. However, donations are on the rise, with data from food banks indicating that the volume given in both 2023 and 2024 increased by 5 per cent.
Progress in retail and government
Despite these challenges, the report also outlines progress that has been made in the retail sector. Grocery retailers who signed on to the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment (PCFWC) reduced the volume of unsold food in their operations by 25 per cent between 2019 and 2022.
These retailers also reported an increase in the rate of unsold food going to compost by 28 per cent and the rate of unsold food being donated by 20 per cent, resulting in a 30 per cent decrease in associated greenhouse gas emissions.
At the same time, the policy landscape is slowly advancing, with 100 state-level bills related to food waste introduced across the country in 2024, of which 18 were passed.
At the federal level, the first National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics was released, providing a coordinated approach between the US Department of Agriculture, US Environmental Protection Agency, and US Food and Drug Administration to meet the goal of a 50 per cent reduction in food waste by 2030.
ReFED’s modelled solutions
The report outlines a number of solutions, after modelling a total of 45 different methods of reducing food waste. The most cost effective solutions suggested include:
- Donation co-ordination, education, and transportation
- Active and intelligent packaging
- Consumer behaviour change campaigns
- Standardised date labels
Looking ahead in 2025, ReFED anticipates that federal and state policy shifts under the new administration could impact food reduction efforts, such as the raised food prices caused by the proposed tariffs. Artificial intelligence is also highlighted as a factor that could drive innovation in the food systems.
"We are still not on track to reach the 2030 national goal of a 50 per cent reduction in food waste," the report concludes. "For that to happen, everyone connected to the food system needs to step up and do their part. Food waste is a systemwide problem—which means it will take systemwide action to end it."
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