This Year's Thanksgiving Food Waste Report

Now that Thanksgiving is over, leftovers fill the refrigerators, waiting to be eaten. However, more than 305 million pounds of food has been wasted, totaling almost $450 million in food waste. More importantly, with 38.3 million food insecure Americans, this waste could have been used to provide 6.5 meals for every one.

There is also a highly significant impact on the environment, with over 1,100,000 million tons of carbon dioxide and 104,000,000,000 gallons of water being generated by the production of this food. This is the equivalent of driving 169,000 cars for a full year and the amount of water used by New York City for three and a half months.

To reduce food waste for the upcoming holiday season, be sure to plan ahead, create a strategy for leftovers, and clean out your freezer. By planning ahead, amounts of food can be portioned accordingly so there isn’t a large number of leftovers. A strategy for leftovers can ensure that they have a place to go, rather than being thrown in the trash. Finally, cleaning out your freezer makes room for leftover food, so it doesn’t go to waste within a short period of time.