Fighting food waste and hunger through food rescue
Millions of people in America struggle to get enough food every day. Meanwhile, we throw away billions of pounds of good food. As the largest food rescue organization in the nation, we're fixing this problem.
We connect stores, restaurants, farms, and food banks to save nutritious food. Every rescued meal means more food for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Together, everyone can access healthy food and prevent food waste.
Food waste statistics in the US
In the United States, people waste 92 billion pounds of food annually, equal to 145 billion meals. They throw away over $473 billion worth of food annually. Shockingly, they waste 38% of all the food in America.
92B
pounds of food go to waste each year.
38%
of all food goes unsold or uneaten.
145B
meals' worth of food goes to landfills.
51.7%
of waste comes from the food industry.
What is food waste?
Food waste is perfectly good, safe-to-eat food that gets thrown away instead of eaten. It happens at home, in stores, restaurants, and farms. Food gets wasted because of things like:
- Ugly or oddly shaped fruits and veggies
- Upcoming sell-by or expiration dates (food is often still safe to eat)
- Overproduction at farms
- Food getting damaged during transport
The environmental impact
Food waste is a major contributor to climate change. It's responsible for 8% of all global carbon emissions, making up most items in our landfills. Growing food requires lots of water, fuel, and fertilizer.
By preventing food waste and rescuing food at risk of being discarded, we can lessen our environmental impact and ensure that resources are used to nourish communities.
Fuel the fight against food waste!
Join us in our mission to rescue 5 billion pounds of food this year! Contributions to the Food Rescue Fund help keep good food in our community and out of landfills.
How food rescue works
Food rescue is one of our most powerful weapons in the fight against food waste. We work side-by-side with food donors like grocery stores, farmers, and restaurants. Together, we find perfectly good food that’s nearing its sell-by date, has cosmetic imperfections, or just didn’t sell.
Instead of ending up in landfills, this food gets a second chance.
Our team works closely with food donors to intercept food before it goes to landfills.
The Feeding America network of food banks and meal programs pick up the donated food.
Our members carefully inspect the food to make sure it’s fresh and ready to enjoy.
The rescued food reaches people experiencing food insecurity.
Benefits of food rescue
By supporting food rescue, you’re helping us create a future where no one experiences food insecurity and good food never goes to waste.
Less waste, more food
We keep good food out of landfills and give our neighbors nourishing meals.
Nourishes communities
We provide fresh fruits, veggies, and food to people visiting food pantries and meal programs.
Stronger food system
We create a more efficient way to get food from farms and stores to families.
Join the movement!
Help us end hunger and stop food waste. Here's how you can get involved:
Donate
Your support helps us rescue even more food.
Volunteer
Sort, pack, or even glean food from farms.
Reduce your food waste
Plan meals, store food properly, and get creative with leftovers.
Involve your company
Partner with Feeding America to start a food rescue program.
Explore more about food rescue
Check out food rescue stories and learn how you can help reduce food waste.
Learn about how you can give now to the Food Rescue Challenge and help Feeding America rescue even more safe, wholesome food for neighbors.
Meet Tom Hong, a food bank employee who's made it his personal mission to help end food waste in the United States, one grocery store at a time.
MealConnect, Feeding America's food donation platform, has helped facilitate five billion pounds of food rescue since 2014. Learn about food waste, what the pro
