This presentation will highlight the latest research on the environmental impacts of U.S. food waste and the potential benefits of meeting the U.S. goal of halving food waste by 2030. These topics will be reported in EPA’s forthcoming “From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of Food Waste” report.  

Over one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten, which wastes the resources used to produce it and creates harmful environmental impacts. Reducing wasted food presents opportunities to increase food security, feed the world’s growing population more sustainably, preserve water availability and quality, and address climate change. 

This presentation will also highlight findings of EPA’s recent “Emerging Issues in Food Waste” report series including information on how plastics, persistent chemicals and pre-processing technologies affect food waste recycling and the impact of food waste on human health and the environment.