The 133 billion pounds of food that end up sitting in landfills each year also releases methane gas as it rots, which contributes to Earth's warming. The average American family of four throws away an estimated $1,500 worth of food every year, and overall, retailers and consumers waste nearly a third of the country's food supply, according to government data. Furthermore, experts have projected that reducing food losses by just 15 percent would provide enough food for more than 25 million Americans every year, helping to sharply reduce incidences of food insecurity for millions. "By reducing wasted food in landfills, we cut harmful methane emissions that fuel climate change, conserve our natural resources and protect our planet for future generations," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy in a statement. In addition to the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, USDA has unveiled several food loss reduction initiatives over the past few years, including an app to help consumers safely store food and understand food date labels, new guidance to manufacturers on donating misbranded or sub-spec foods, and research on innovative technologies to make reducing food loss and waste cost effective. As part of the initiative, the USDA said it's launching a consumer education campaign, including tips on how to reduce waste, and is partnering with food-service companies and state and local governments, among others, to carry out the plan. The first-ever national food waste goal is just one part of the Obama Administration's commitment to protecting our environment for future generations.
– The amount of perfectly good food that Americans throw away every year is enough to feed dozens of smaller countries, and the federal government says it's time to cut the waste dramatically. We throw away around a third of our food, and the USDA and EPA have partnered with private sector groups to announce the first-ever target for reducing food waste, which amounts to around 133 billion pounds a year in the US, NPR reports. The agencies want to cut waste by 50% by 2030, largely by scaling up existing initiatives to educate consumers on avoiding waste and to divert more food to hungry Americans. The US "enjoys the most productive and abundant food supply on earth, but too much of this food goes to waste," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says in a press release. "An average family of four leaves more than two million calories, worth nearly $1,500, uneaten each year." EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy adds: "Let's feed people, not landfills," warning that the staggering amounts of food that end up in landfills are a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions. The USDA says part of the plan will involve teaching consumers that food is often still good to eat after the "sell by" date and the "use by" date on packaging, reports USA Today. (Advocates want a national standard for the "haphazard" and "almost completely arbitrary" system of expiration dates.)