Food wasted in the U.S.
so far in 2026
Full by Dec 31: $325 billion
Waste less at home
- Won't finish the bread in time? Freeze it. EPA, Preventing Wasted Food at Home
- Leftovers last 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Freeze what you won’t get to. USDA FSIS, Leftovers and Food Safety
- Keep your fridge at 40°F or below. A cheap appliance thermometer is the easy way to check. FDA, Are You Storing Food Safely?
- “Sell by” is for the store. It isn’t a safety date. USDA FSIS, Food Product Dating
- Make an “Eat First” shelf for leftovers and food that won’t last. EPA, Food: Too Good to Waste
- Plan the week’s meals, then shop only for those. EPA, Preventing Wasted Food at Home
- Turn past-prime produce into soup, a stir-fry or a smoothie. EPA, Preventing Wasted Food at Home
- Food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. Only the quality fades. FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Charts
- Cool big batches fast. Split them into shallow containers. USDA FSIS, Leftovers and Food Safety
- Check the fridge and pantry before you shop. EPA, Preventing Wasted Food at Home
- Put leftovers in clear containers with the date on them. EPA, Preventing Wasted Food at Home
- Keep bananas and apples away from other produce. They give off ethylene gas. EPA, Preventing Wasted Food at Home
- Get leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours. Within 1 hour if it’s above 90°F. USDA FSIS, Leftovers and Food Safety
- Compost scraps you can't eat instead of trashing them. Skip meat, fish, bones, dairy and oils in a backyard pile. EPA, Composting at Home
- Don’t pack the fridge so tight that air can’t move. FDA, Are You Storing Food Safely?
- Reheat leftovers to 165°F. Check with a food thermometer. USDA FSIS, Leftovers and Food Safety
- “Best if used by” means best quality. It isn’t a safety date. Food stored safely is usually fine after it (infant formula is the exception). USDA FSIS, Food Product Dating
Waste less in a kitchen
- Track what you throw out, then use it to plan prep and orders. ReFED, Restaurants and Foodservice
- Prep to your forecast, not to fill the pan. Leanpath data puts overproduction at about half of kitchen food waste. Waste360, with Leanpath data
- Donating extra food? Federal law protects good-faith donors. The protection doesn’t cover gross negligence. USDA, Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act
- Smaller menus and flexible portions cut waste. ReFED, Restaurants and Foodservice
- Line up a donation partner before you have extra food. ReFED, Restaurants and Foodservice
- Cool food from 135°F to 70°F in 2 hours, then to 41°F in 4 more. That’s the FDA Food Code. Check your local health code too. FDA, Cooling Cooked TCS Foods
- Sell end-of-day food at a markdown instead of tossing it. ReFED, Restaurants and Foodservice
Half Pan is a free app for kitchen crews. Weigh what you throw out, tap why, and start the next shift with one fix.
How this number works
ReFED's 2026 U.S. Food Waste Report says $325 billion of food went to waste in the U.S. in 2024, about 59.5 million tons (ReFED). We spread that evenly over the year and count from midnight on January 1, Central time. It is an estimate, not a measurement. Real waste comes in bursts, like after holidays and at closing time.
The map holds one year of it. It fills from the bottom as the year goes on and is full on December 31. The photo is real: a pile of rotting apples, by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash.
The same number, with a new fix every day, is posted on Instagram. The numbers kitchens weigh themselves are on their own pages.