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Food waste is a big problem in industrialized countries. The economic impact of food waste in the U.S. is equivalent to $197.7 billion, according to a report by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN). Titled Food Wastes: Causes, Impacts and Proposals, the report estimates that waste during the consumption stage in the U.S. is equivalent to $124.1 billion. The costs on average for a family of four are about $1,600 a year. In the distribution state, food waste equals $64.6 billion.
The BCFN report cites several statistics that show just how big a problem food waste is in industrialized countries. An analysis by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2011, estimated global food waste to be about 1.3 billion tons, which equals about a third of the total food production meant for human consumption. In 2007, the USDA estimated that in the U.S. 30 percent of the food meant for human consumption is wasted every year, mostly in the home and in restaurants/food service establishments.
