Innovations for Reducing Food Loss and Waste

What's the Problem? | What Can Be Done? | What is Your Role? | Where Can I Find Out More?

Food scrapes being tossed into a composter.

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Our job is finding solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day, from field to table. ARS conducts research across the country and internationally to deliver scientific solutions to national and global agricultural challenges. One of those challenges is finding ways to reduce food loss and waste.

What is ARS’s Role in Reducing Food Loss and Waste?

ARS researchers are on the forefront of finding innovative solutions to help reduce food loss and waste. While the agency does not receive direct funding for food loss and waste programs, we conduct research nationwide that aims to reduce food loss and waste in homes, schools, farms, and businesses, as well as converting it into value-added products such as bioplastics, biochemicals, and biobased alternatives to fossil fuels.

A Monumental Problem

Food loss and waste is a monumental problem, both in the United States and globally. Here in the United States, as much as one third of our food supply is wasted, including an estimated 31% of food at the retail and consumer levels.

Most people don’t realize how often they waste food and the negative impacts it can have for food security, the environment, and climate change. Safe and wholesome food that is currently thrown away could help feed millions of hungry families and reduce food insecurity here and around the world. Each year, Feeding America and its network of food banks rescues around 3.6 billion pounds of food. Unfortunately, this represents only a small percentage of wholesome food that could have been donated but instead ended up in a landfill.

When food is wasted, so is the land, water, labor, energy, and other inputs that are used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, and storing food. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in the United States, food is the largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, where it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States.

And finally, food waste and loss costs money for everyone. Just looking at consumers, on average, a family of four could save more than $3,000 a year by reducing waste!

What Can Be Done?

There are simple steps that everyone can take to reduce food loss and waste. Consumers, food producers, schools, businesses — we all have a role in this! Check out the section What is Your Role to learn how you can do your part.

Does the government play a role in this?

Absolutely! USDA is partnering with many local, state, and federal agencies to provide strategies and incentives to significantly reduce food loss and waste in America. The goal is to get everyone involved, from the farmers and growers to the retail stores and consumers.

Research is another critical factor for finding innovative, sustainable solutions for the food loss and waste problem. ARS has projects underway across the country designed to improve growing practices, breed fruit and vegetables that can better handle storage and transportation, find environmentally friendly alternatives to pesticides and sprays, develop new technologies to make processing and delivery more efficient, and turn post-harvest waste into usable foods and materials, including biofuels.

Below is a sampling of our innovative research projects, some of which have already been introduced in the marketplace.

Preventing Food Loss & Waste

Disease Detection in Farmed Salmon

A new detection method increases testing speed while maintaining accuracy for infectious salmon anemia virus.

New Strawberry Checks All the Boxes

A new ARS-released strawberry variety waits to flower in the spring, avoiding damage from frost but produces fruit early in the season.

A honeycrisp apple infected with bitter rot.

Using Genomics to Fight A Bitter Disease

ARS researchers are using genomics to determine the genetic makeup of the bitter rot fungi.

Predicting E. coli in Leafy Greens

ARS researchers developed a weather data model to predict EcO157 contamination trends in lettuce.

A researchers adding the MortCam AI to an RAS system.

Using AI to Prevent Fish Mortality

ARS collaborators developed MortCam, an artificial intelligence enabled fish mortality detection and alert system.

Tomatoes that are stunted, yellowing, and dying from corky root rot.

New Tool Puts Tomato Production on Track

ARS researchers developed a new tool to rapidly detect corky root rot pathogens in roots and soils.

A rice weevil beetle and a red flour beetle in stored grain.

Using AI to Control Grain Pests

ARS scientists used AI to develop image-based identification for five common stored grain insect species.

A portable device for detecting and sorting aflatoxin-contaminated corn kernels.

Screening for Toxins in Foods

ARS researchers developed a table-top or tablet-based, low-cost portable system that can validate aflatoxin contamination.

Potatoes inoculated with Fusarium pathogen.

Reducing Potato Storage Loss

ARS researchers developed an effective, environmentally friendly treatment to stem potato losses from fungal spoilage during storage.

Technology Keeps Produce Fresh, Longer

A new freezing method could extend the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetable products.

Controlling Fruit Rots in Blueberries

ARS researchers are testing natamycin as a postharvest dipping or spraying treatment to see if it could control postharvest blueberry rots.

Extending Breadfruit and Papaya Shelf Life

Researchers determined ways prolong the quality of breadfruit after harvest and to extend the shelf life of papaya during commercial shipments.

Squeezing More Out of Oranges

ARS researchers converted vegetable oil from waste citrus seeds into biodiesel using a process referred to as transesterification.

Bags of livestock feed with and without added peanuts.

Finding a New Market for Inshell Peanuts

ARS researchers determined that nonfood grade inshell peanuts that are aflatoxin free could be used for livestock feed.

Mushrooms growing in a mix of almond hulls and peat moss.

Novel Uses for Discarded Almond Hulls

ARS scientists use “spent hulls” as a replacement for non-sustainable peat moss to commercially produce mushrooms.

Tasty Way to Increase Fruit Production

ARS scientists identified optimum pilot scale conditions for pectin production from Florida sweet oranges.

What's Your Role?

What can I do to reduce food loss and waste? No matter your age, where you work, where you live, or what your occupation, you can take simple steps to reduce food loss and waste. Here are some examples, with links provided to make a bigger impact on this massive global challenge.

For Consumers

Before you go to the grocery store or order online, make a list so you don’t buy more than you need.
Only put on your plate what you intend to eat. You can also go back for seconds.
Pack leftovers in small portions in shallow containers, mark the contents and date, refrigerate, and use within 3 to 4 days or freeze immediately.
Recycle food scraps into compost, an organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Set up a home compost bin or drop your food waste at a local compost center.
See the Food Loss and Waste page for more ideas.

A farmer checking his dragon fruit plants.

For Farmers and Growers

Use on-farm storage to help reduce post-harvest loss.
Invest in value-added products, such as turning berries into jams.
Partner with a produce delivery service that accepts perfectly edible but cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables.
Donate excess wholesome food to a food bank.
See more ideas at Food Loss and Waste: Farmers.

For Schools

Allow students to decline some components of a reimbursable meal as a way of providing choice and reducing waste (also called offer-versus-serve).
Extend lunch from 20 to 30 minutes, thereby creating more time for students to finish their lunches.
Create designated stations (share tables) where children can return whole and/or unopened food or beverage items they choose not to eat. These items are then made available to other children who may want another serving during or after the meal service.
Donate surplus wholesome food to a food bank or nonprofit.
See Reducing Food Waste at K-12 Schools for more ideas.

For Businesses

Consider applying to be a “2030 Champion” pledging to reduce your business’s food loss and waste by 50% by 2030.
Develop cost-effective solutions for reducing food loss and waste, both in operations and personnel.
Donate excess wholesome food to a food bank.
Provide incentives for your staff to come up with ideas for reducing food loss and waste.
Visit Food Loss and Waste: Businesses for more ideas.

Where Can I Find Out More?

Please join ARS in meeting USDA’s goal to reduce food loss and waste 50% by 2030!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is deeply committed to reducing food loss and waste, and we provide helpful tools and guidance as well as incentives for consumers, farmers, schools, and businesses to do their part in reducing our food footprint. If you would like to learn more about ways to reduce food loss and waste, check out the links below:

Visit USDA’s Food Loss and Waste website
Read the National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics
Check out the Federal Interagency Collaboration to Reduce Food Loss and Waste
See which businesses earned the title as U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion

For more information on USDA efforts to reduce food loss and waste in America, contact:
Dr. Jean Buzby
USDA Food Loss and Waste Liaison
jean.buzby@usda.gov

View the 2024 USDA ARS Food Loss and Waste Report.

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Innovations for Reducing Food Loss and Waste

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A Monumental Problem

What Can Be Done?

Preventing Food Loss & Waste

Harnessing AI and New Technologies

Extending the Shelf Life of Food

Turning Ag Waste into New Uses

What's Your Role?

Where Can I Find Out More?

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