How Food Waste Impacts Climate Change (And What You Can Do)
The numbers are staggering: Approximately one-third of all food produced in the United States and globally goes to waste. In the U.S., that equals about 92 billion pounds of food; in the world, that’s 1.3 billion tons.
The scale of our food waste crisis has accelerated global warming and, therefore, climate change. Given how much land, water, and energy are required to grow crops and farm animals, in the U.S. alone, food waste produces 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year—which equals the emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants.
How specifically can addressing food waste help us reduce the impacts of climate change? In this blog, we’ll dive into the connection between the two, examining the causes of our food waste crisis, specific impacts in the United States, and what we can do to reduce waste and its far-reaching consequences.
Why Food Gets Wasted
When people think of food waste, they tend to think of their own habits of throwing away leftovers or allowing produce to go bad. While consumer habits massively contribute to the greater food waste problem, they are not the only culprits. Food waste occurs at every stage of the food chain, from the farm to retailers to consumers.
On the Farm
There are about two million farms in the U.S., raising either crops, livestock, dairy, or other food sources. Crop farmers typically don’t sell retailers everything they grow, for several reasons:
Low market prices: It may not be worth the cost of multiple harvests.
Low labor availability: Without enough workers to harvest all crops, some are left in the fields to rot.
Unable to find buyers: In a competitive market, farmers may struggle to find retailers to buy their produce, especially toward the end of the harvest period.
Cosmetic standards: Retailer standards prevent farmers from choosing imperfect-looking produce for shipment.
ReFED, a U.S.-based nonprofit, reported that 17.6M tons of surplus produce were generated in 2023. Waste is not exclusive to crop farms; according to Vox, a quarter of all meat waste occurs on farms, with around 1.5 million animals dying prematurely every day due to disease and injury. This is in part due to inhumane breeding and growing conditions on factory farms.
In Grocery Stores
Retailers often set high standards for their products, with appearance and freshness being top concerns. You may have noticed at your local grocery store that the apples on display look crisp and ready to eat, while the apples at the bottom of the pile have some bruises. This is by design; the store wants to sell as many apples as possible, so they place the best of the bunch in plain sight. Sometimes, bruised or otherwise imperfect produce doesn’t make it to the shelf at all.
Packaged foods that go to waste often have a higher carbon footprint than unwrapped produce. Produced meats, for example, often have plastic packaging that ends up in a landfill, whether the meat is bought and eaten or not.
Retailers have substantial influence not just on consumer behavior but also on food waste itself. When unsold food approaches its expiration date, local and commercial grocery stores might move the products to a clearance section or donate leftover food to local food banks, which is what Whole Foods,Walmart, and other chains have done. But challenges like food safety, inventory management, and economic goals still lead many stores to let food expire and throw it away. In 2023, according to ReFED, 35% of all surplus grocery store food went to waste.
In Consumer Homes and Restaurants
According to ReFED, more than half of surplus food in the U.S. comes from consumer food waste; that accounts for not only groceries but waste in restaurants.
Parties and events are also sources of food waste. For instance, when a company hosts a holiday party for employees, it likely orders from a catering company. While employees or caterers sometimes take home the extra food, those leftovers will likely end up in the garbage.
Certainly, no one intends to be wasteful. There are several reasons a consumer might end up with a growing food-waste footprint:
Unplanned grocery runs: People who go to the grocery store without a list or plans to cook may end up over-purchasing or buying foods they won’t consume. This is more likely to occur when the retailer is having a sale or offering a deal.
Confusion around date labels: Did you know that the “Best By” date on a product isn’t an expiration date? Many Americans throw away food before it goes bad because they deem it unsafe to eat based on the date label.
Improper food storage: Produce, meats, and other foods can last longer when they are stored correctly, but if consumers don’t know proper storage techniques, the food may spoil quicker.
Lack of participation in food waste programs: Some towns have recycling and composting programs and resources that residents may not be aware of.
Not having a plan for extra food: Party hosts, in particular, may not anticipate leftovers and therefore end up with too much extra food they won’t eat.
Impact on the Climate and Environment
When we waste food, we waste resources. From farmland and fuel needed to power farm equipment to retailer transportation and packaging, every stage requires a combination of resources that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). On the farm level, for example, fresh water is needed for raising crops and livestock. The agriculture sector uses 70% of the water used globally, and yet a tremendous amount of food never makes it off the farm.
Likewise, nearly half of the world’s habitable land is reserved for agriculture, and most of that is for livestock. When we clear land for agricultural purposes, we disrupt ecosystems by removing plant and animal species. This interrupts food chains and, at scale, can have devastating impacts on biodiversity.
Our collective wasted food has its own GHG footprint because it releases methane in the atmosphere. Second to carbon dioxide, methane is a top contributor to global warming, trapping heat and damaging the ozone layer.
Many countries have set effective policies at the federal level to prevent food waste and reduce its climate and environmental impacts. While the U.S. has set a target of cutting food waste in half by 2030, we are nowhere near reaching this goal in 2025.
“People are trying to do what they can at the state and municipal levels,” Lori Leonard, chair of the Department of Global Development at Cornell University, told Grist in an article published in January 2025. “But we need national leadership on this issue.”
What We Can Do
Rather than take on the weight of the global food waste crisis, we can take small, communal actions to reduce waste and lessen our impact on climate change. Here are just some solutions you can implement into your life today to make a small but important difference.
In Your Community
Ask local lawmakers to prioritize food waste legislation: Call or email your local representatives to request state- or town-wide food waste action and legislation.
Organize food waste events: Initiate change in your community by creating the first food waste event or project. You can work with a food bank or related nonprofit to organize food donations, throw a nothing-goes-to-waste potluck, or start a community food garden.
Talk to friends and neighbors about your goals: Knowledge is power, and having conversations about food waste reduction is a great way to encourage engagement and change. You can share strategies and help each other to prevent food waste in your homes.
In Your Home
Plan Your Meals and Your Leftovers
When you go to the grocery store, have a list of ingredients based on the meals you’re planning to cook. Referring to a list can prevent overbuying and allow you to get only what you need. If you know you’ll have extra servings—for example, you cook dinner for two people when the recipe serves four—make a loose plan for when to eat the leftovers so they don’t go to waste.
Buy in Bulk Strategically
Buying food in bulk could help you cut down on packaging waste. However, it’s best to only go for the buy-one-get-one-free deals and other bulk options if you’re confident none of the food will go to waste.
Learn How to Best Store Food
Educate yourself on how to store different kinds of foods and food storage best practices. Make sure your refrigerator is not overflowing with food and that the temperature is set to below 40 degrees F. It’s also good to know the signs that foods have gone bad. For example, meat is not necessarily spoiled when it changes color in the fridge or freezer; you should rely on odor and texture to determine its quality.
Freeze What Would Otherwise Go Bad
Have a loaf of bread you know you won’t finish anytime soon? Or leftovers from a large pot of soup? Freezing extends the freshness of foods and prevents spoilage. You can research the optimal length of freezing for different foods.
Learn about food labels
Many consumers mistake date labels for expiration dates. Refer to a food labels guide, such as this one from ReFED, to better understand labels while shopping.
Keep in mind: Your journey in reducing food waste doesn’t have to be perfect. Any effort to waste less and educate yourself and others is a step in the right direction. Armed with knowledge, strategies, and teamwork, we can do our part to conserve resources and reduce the amount of food that ends up in landfills.