66.2 million tons
Food wasted in retail, food service, and residential sectors in EPA's 2019 accounting.
Source: EPA 2019 Wasted Food Report
Food waste, with the sources attached
Food Waste Statistics: What Leftovers Really Cost You
The U.S. food-waste picture is large, costly, and measured in different ways. Here are directly cited EPA, USDA, and FDA figures — plus a household cost calculation and conservative leftover storage guide.
Primary-source evidence
Verified U.S. food-waste statistics
Source years differ. Do not add figures from different reports together.
40% / 40% / 20%
EPA's 2019 sector split: household, food service, and retail, respectively.
Source: EPA 2019 Wasted Food Report
59.8%
Share of the 2019 retail/service/residential total sent to landfill.
Source: EPA 2019 Wasted Food Report
40.1 million tons · 42.6%
Manufacturing waste, with 42.6% sent to anaerobic digestion in the EPA's 2019 data.
Source: EPA 2019 Wasted Food Report
26.7 million tons
Food-service waste in 2019; EPA reports more than 72% landfill, 17% combustion, and 8% compost.
Source: EPA 2019 Wasted Food Report
26.5 million tons
Residential waste in 2019; EPA reports 66.2% landfill, 15.1% combustion, 15.0% sewer, and 3.7% compost.
Source: EPA 2019 Wasted Food Report
5.1 million tons · 7.8%
Food donated in the 2019 retail/service/residential accounting, equal to 7.8% of that total.
Source: EPA 2019 Wasted Food Report
2.2 million tons
Food manufacturing donation reported by EPA for 2019.
Source: EPA 2019 Wasted Food Report
63.1 million tons · 21.6%
Food material in the 2018 municipal solid waste generation estimate, and its share of MSW generation.
Source: EPA Food Material-Specific Data
35.3 million tons · 24.1%
Food material landfilled in 2018, and its share of all landfilled MSW.
Source: EPA Food Material-Specific Data
24%
Food's share of landfill material in 2018, according to the EPA/USDA methane fact sheet.
~58% · ~55 million metric tons CO₂e
EPA/USDA's 2020 estimate for food in landfills' share of fugitive landfill methane and its climate-equivalent emissions.
15 coal plants · 7 million homes
The EPA/USDA fact sheet's stated equivalents for that ~55 million metric tons CO₂e.
31% · 133 billion of 430 billion pounds
USDA ERS's 2010 estimate of food available but not eaten in the retail and consumer sectors.
Source: USDA ERS Food Loss at the Retail and Consumer Levels
$161.6 billion
Estimated 2010 retail value of food not eaten in the USDA ERS estimate.
Source: USDA ERS Food Loss at the Retail and Consumer Levels
141 trillion calories · 1,249 per person/day
USDA ERS's 2010 estimate of calories not eaten nationally and on a per-capita daily basis.
Source: USDA ERS Food Loss at the Retail and Consumer Levels
10% · 43 billion pounds
USDA ERS's 2010 retail-level share and amount of food not eaten.
Source: USDA ERS Food Loss at the Retail and Consumer Levels
21% · 90 billion pounds
USDA ERS's 2010 consumer-level share and amount of food not eaten.
Source: USDA ERS Food Loss at the Retail and Consumer Levels
30–40% · ~133 billion pounds · $161 billion
FDA's summary of the food supply estimated to be lost or wasted in the United States, using 2010 estimates.
Source: FDA Food Loss and Waste
Up to 20 pounds
FDA's cited estimate for food wasted by one person in a month.
$165 billion/year
FDA's cited estimate of the annual value of consumer food waste.
20%
FDA's cited estimate of consumer food waste associated with confusion over date labels.
EPA 2025 estimate
What food waste costs households
EPA reports $728 per person per year, $2,913 per year for a household of four, and $56 for an average household per week. The table applies the per-person figure to household sizes and labels every page calculation.
| Household size | Annual cost | Monthly cost | Calculation | Source note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $728 | $60.67 | $728 ÷ 12 | EPA annual per-person value; monthly amount calculated |
| 2 people | $1,456 | $121.33 | $728 × 2; annual ÷ 12 | Calculated from EPA's per-person value |
| 3 people | $2,184 | $182.00 | $728 × 3; annual ÷ 12 | Calculated from EPA's per-person value |
| 4 people | $2,913 | $242.75 | $2,913 ÷ 12 | EPA-reported annual household figure; monthly amount calculated |
| 5 people | $3,640 | $303.33 | $728 × 5; annual ÷ 12 | Calculated from EPA's per-person value |
Source: EPA, Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers (2025). EPA's $56 weekly figure describes an average household; it is not the basis of the household-size calculations above. Monthly values are rounded to the nearest cent.
Conservative storage guide
How long leftovers keep
Refrigerator limits below use USDA FSIS's conservative 3–4 day guidance. Freezer ranges are FoodKeeper quality guidance, not a guarantee of safety.
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Leftovers with meat, fish, poultry, or egg | 3–4 days | 2–3 months (quality) |
| Leftovers without meat, fish, poultry, or egg | 3–4 days | 1–2 months (quality) |
| Pizza | 3–4 days | 1–2 months (quality) |
2 hours
Refrigerate leftovers within this time.
1 hour
Use this limit when the temperature is above 90°F.
40–140°F
USDA FSIS danger-zone range.
165°F
Reheat leftovers to this temperature.
Sources: USDA FSIS leftovers and food safety; USDA FoodKeeper data. When in doubt about food safety, follow the source guidance rather than relying on smell or appearance.
Questions about food waste
How much does food waste cost a household?
EPA's 2025 estimate is $728 per person per year, $2,913 per year for a household of four, and $56 per average household per week. The table on this page labels the arithmetic and rounding rather than treating a derived figure as a new EPA estimate.
How long are leftovers safe in the refrigerator?
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within two hours (one hour when the temperature is above 90°F), and to use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165°F. Freezer ranges on this page are quality guidance from USDA FoodKeeper, not a promise of indefinite safety.
What is the recommended freezer quality range for leftovers?
FoodKeeper lists 2–3 freezer months for leftovers with meat, fish, poultry, or egg; 1–2 months for leftovers without those foods; and 1–2 months for pizza. These are conservative quality ranges, paired with the FSIS refrigeration guidance.
Are the statistics on this page all from one year?
No. The source years are shown in the linked titles and descriptions. The EPA sector and destination figures are from 2019, EPA material data and the methane fact sheet use 2018 or 2020 estimates, and USDA ERS's national food-loss estimate is from 2010. They should not be added together.
Source notes
This page transcribes the linked primary sources and keeps report years visible. The figures are not combined into a single total: definitions, sectors, and years differ between reports. For the complete methodology, use the source documents themselves.
Additional product context: fridgesnap.AI app.