Key Statistics

CFRC Key Statistics

Food Insecurity, Food Waste, and the Environmental Impact of Food Waste

The statistics regarding food insecurity, food waste and the environmental impact of food waste are staggering.  They are also crucial to informing policy makers, food recovery organizations and others seeking to address these issues at the state, local and national levels.

Food Insecurity

Food Insecurity in America
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 13% of all American households, or more than 47.4 million people, were food insecure in 2023. This number includes 7.2 million children. 1
Food insecure households lack access to adequate, nutritious foods. As described by the USDA, they are “uncertain of having or unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food.”2
Food insecurity has devastating consequences. Research consistently shows that it is related to poorer nutritional health, higher rates of chronic disease, and increased levels of depression, stress and anxiety.3 Food insecurity can also have particularly destructive effects on children. According to the American Academy of Pediatricians:
Children suffering from food insecurity are more likely to have poor overall health, struggle in school and develop asthma and mental health problems. Children who suffer from food insecurity also are more likely to become food insecure adults and parents, perpetuating an intergenerational cycle of poor health.4

Food Insecurity in California
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California produces nearly half of the county’s vegetables and over three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts.5 Despite this abundance, a growing number of Californians struggle to access nutritious and affordable food.
In 2024, 22% of our state’s households, including 27% of those with children, suffered from food insecurity.6 The situation is even more dire for significant segments of California’s population:

  • Among low-income adults (earning less than 200% of the federal poverty level), 44% were not able to afford enough food in 2022, up from 35.8% in 2020;7
  • Adults who identified with two or more races and Black or African American adults had among the highest overall rates of food insecurity in 2022: 49.9% and 48.6%, respectively.8
  • Among college students surveyed in early 2025, nearly 50% reported food insecurity, with 28% skipping meals due to affordability issues.9

Not surprisingly, food insecurity in California also varies widely by county. A 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment of Monterey County, for example, found that 40.8% of community residents were food insecure, reporting they had run out of food in the past year and/or been worried about running out of food.10

Food Waste

Food Waste in America
Given the number of Americans who suffer from food insecurity, the statistics regarding food waste are particularly shocking. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that between 30-40 % of our nation’s food supply is wasted, with 31% of that loss occurring at the retail and consumer levels.11
Food waste has a huge financial impact nationwide, creating significant losses for businesses and consumers. In 2023, the value of surplus food was $382 billion – equivalent to 1.4% of total U.S. GDP.12 In that year, 73.9 million tons of surplus food were generated, representing 442 pounds of surplus food per capita.13

Food Waste in California
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Californians throw away 5-6 million tons of food each year.14 This includes 2.5 billion meals worth of unspoiled food a year.15 For a family of four, that equates to 185 meals per person, 28 days of food or $1,500 worth of food.16

The Environmental Impact of Food Waste

National Impact
Food waste has an enormous, and to many members of the public an unknown, impact on our climate. In the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publication From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste, the EPA reports that food waste is the single most common material deposited in landfills, comprising 24% of landfilled waste nationwide.17 The report states further that:

This uneaten food results in a “waste” of resources—including agricultural land, water, pesticides, fertilizers, and energy—and the generation of environmental impacts—including greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, consumption and degradation of freshwater resources, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and degradation of soil quality and air quality.18

ReFed is a national nonprofit organization working to stop food waste. Its publication From Surplus to Solutions: 2025 ReFed U.S. Food Waste Report also addresses this issue:

Surplus food takes a significant toll on the environment and natural resources. These negative impacts are driven by all of the resources and energy required to grow, transport, cool, and cook food; the conversion of native ecosystems to agriculture; and the methane produced from food decaying in landfills and sewage treatment plants. What’s more, these impacts make it increasingly difficult to produce the food required to feed a growing population.19

ReFED’s analysis indicates further that surplus food is responsible for:

  • The same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as driving 54 million cars, or 18% of all registered vehicles in the country, and
  • Nearly three million metric tons of methane each year, which is 10% of the country’s total annual methane emissions and the same as the emissions from powering 45 million homes with electricity when considered on a 20-year timeframe.20

Environmental Impact in California
Landfills are the third largest source of methane in California.21 Landfilled food and other organic waste rotting in landfills emit 20% of the state’s methane, contributing to California’s hotter summers, more frequent droughts, and more wildfires.22

In an effort to address this huge environmental problem, the California Legislature enacted SB 1383 (Lara) in 2016. That landmark law set the following 2025 targets:

  • 75% less organic waste sent to landfills.
  • 20% of unsold, still-edible food sent to food recovery organizations.23

In California, therefore, food recovery organizations play a crucial role in reducing the amount of food that ends up in landfills.

The Work of Food Recovery Organizations

Food recovery organizations collect nutritious, surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants and other food-related businesses and deliver it to those in need.   In California, their work plays an essential, state-mandated role in increasing food security, reducing food waste and addressing climate change.

Works Cited

  1. USDA Economics Research Service, Food Security in the U.S. – Key Statistics & Graphics, Updated 1/8/2025.
    https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics ↩︎
  2. Ibid. ↩︎
  3. Bruening M, Dinour LM, Chavez JBR. Food insecurity and emotional health in the USA: a systematic narrative review of longitudinal research. Public Health Nutr.(Sept 14, 2017). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles.   ↩︎
  4. American Academy of Pediatrics, Feeding Health: How Pediatricians Can Address Childhood Hunger,August 13, 2025. https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/aap-voices/feeding-health-how-pediatricians-can-address-childhood-hunger/?srsltid=AfmBOoo1TzRbEruddMphEat5f0GwS8DobBRRDg1t69dz_nDXQu-kNhrR ↩︎
  5. CDFA Agricultural Production Statistics, https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/. ↩︎
  6. U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey as reported by California Association of Food Banks Food Insecurity Data, https://www.cafoodbanks.org/food-insecurity-data/. ↩︎
  7. UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (October 4, 2023). California Health Interview Survey reveals alarming rates of food insecurity, hate incidents, mental health concerns, and challenges in accessing needed care. UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. https://ph.ucla.edu/news-events/news/california-health-interview-survey-reveals-alarming-rates-food-insecurity-hate ↩︎
  8. Ibid. ↩︎
  9. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Easing Food Insecurity Among College Students: CalFresh Recommendations for Campus Programs (January 2025), https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/2025-01/. ↩︎
  10. https://www.countyofmonterey.gov/home/showpublisheddocument. ↩︎
  11. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Why Should We Care About Food Waste?  https://www.usda.gov/about-food/food-safety/food-loss-and-waste/why-should-we-care-about-food-waste. ↩︎
  12. From Surplus to Solutions: 2025 ReFed U.S. Food Waste Report, https://refed.org/downloads/refed-us-food-waste-report-2025.pdf. ↩︎
  13. Ibid. ↩︎
  14. California Department of Food and Agriculture, https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/foodrecovery/. ↩︎
  15. California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/. ↩︎
  16. CalRecycle, https://calrecycle.ca.gov/wcs/dbstudy/. ↩︎
  17. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/ ↩︎
  18. Ibid. ↩︎
  19. https://refed.org/downloads/refed-us-food-waste-report-2025.pdf. ↩︎
  20. Ibid. ↩︎
  21. CalRecycle, California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy, https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp/. ↩︎
  22. Ibid. ↩︎
  23. Ibid. ↩︎