New Report: Nationwide Reduction in Food Waste Driven by Households

ReFED’s yearly progress report Progress on the Plate: 2026 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report shows that in 2024, total surplus food decreased to 70 million tons, a 2.2% reduction from 2023 and slightly more than a 3.7% decrease per capita, led by a nearly 950,000 ton reduction in residential food waste. This decrease represents the first year-to-year reduction in the total amount of food that goes unsold or uneaten since a COVID-19 pandemic-related dip and is a significant milestone in the movement to reduce food waste.

The new report from ReFED includes key statistics, insights, barriers, and points of progress on the issue, to help professionals and communities alike understand the current state of the food waste challenge and how to meaningfully address it.

“This is an opportune moment to focus on wasting less food,” says Dana Gunders, president of ReFED. “With higher food prices, Americans are looking for ways to extend their grocery dollars. Using up more of what they’re already purchasing and wasting less is proving to be one of the most accessible ways to do it. At the same time, food waste reduction is recognized as a business decision with material impact on the bottom line for food businesses, which are elevating the issue to the C-suite and boardroom. The wind is at our backs, and it’s time to step on the gas.”

New this year, the report features insights from ReFED experts on food waste solutions poised to make a significant impact in the months ahead. It also includes deep dives into factors influencing progress on food waste, including high food prices, the federal Food Date Labeling Act, and artificial intelligence, as well as roadblocks that must be overcome.

For key insights from Progress on the Plate: 2026 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report, visit our special landing page. To read the full report, click here.

Learn more with the Insights Explorer, ReFED’s new AI-powered research assistant, which provides instant access to the most up-to-date data from ReFED and a range of other sources, plus actionable insights and expert analysis to help you stop food waste.

ReFED is a U.S.-based nonprofit that partners with food businesses, funders, solution providers, policymakers, and more to solve food waste. Its vision is a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food system that makes the best use of the food we grow. The organization serves as the definitive source for food waste data, providing the most comprehensive analysis of the food waste problem and solutions to address it. Through its tools and resources, in-person and virtual convenings, and services tailored to help businesses, funders, and solution providers scale their impact, ReFED works to increase adoption of food waste solutions across the supply chain. To learn more about ReFED and solutions to reduce food waste, please visit www.refed.org.