From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov Transcript for: Reducing Food Waste Description: Hear how federal agencies are tackling the issue of food waste. Related GAO Work: GAO-19-391: Food Loss and Waste: Building on Existing Federal Efforts Could Help to Achieve National Reduction Goal Released: June 2019 [ Background Music ] [ Steve Morris: ] Reducing food waste could lower consumer expenses. It could provide additional meals to the hungry, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [ Matt Oldham: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm Matt Oldham. Not all of the food produced in this country makes it to the table, and not all of the food that does make it to the table ends up in our stomachs. This is called food loss and waste. Steve Morris is a Natural Resources and Environment director at GAO and we're going to talk about the food that we aren't eating, the wasted food. Thanks for joining me, Steve. [ Steve Morris: ] Good morning, Matt. [ Matt Oldham: ] So, how much food waste is there? [ Steve Morris: ] According to some estimates, about 40 percent of the food supply goes uneaten. So, putting that in economic terms, that's about $200 billion a year that's spent on growing, processing, and transporting food that is never eaten. Those are both staggering numbers, Matt. [ Matt Oldham: ] So, where does this waste come from, this $200 billion a year that we're not eating? [ Steve Morris: ] Well, food waste can occur really all across the food supply chain, from the farmer to the consumer. For an example, at the production and processing stage there may be some food waste resulting from damage or spoilage. Thinking about it at the retail and consumer level, you may have some waste from folks overbuying food, improper storage. And also, consumers may be confused about what the date labels mean on those food packaging, and they may throw out food, as well. [ Matt Oldham: ] So then, what's the federal government's interest in this food waste? [ Steve Morris: ] Well yes, the government has a major interest in addressing food waste because it has significant economic, social, and environmental effects. Just to give you an idea, Matt, according to the Department of Agriculture, consumers spend per capita about $400 a year on food that is never eaten. Meanwhile, we have about 40 million Americans who live in households that don't have enough to eat. In addition, we're using acres of land and gallons of water to grow food that's ultimately wasted. As you could see, not only is that a poor use of resources, but the food waste may end up in landfills, which could contribute to greenhouse gases and further impacts the environment. In 2015, USDA and EPA set out a really ambitious national goal to reduce food waste by half by 2030. [ Background Music ] [ Matt Oldham: ] It sounds like up to 40 percent of our food goes uneaten, to the tune of $200 billion a year. It's difficult to tell how much food waste is occurring at the different stages of the food-production process. So, Steve, how could these federal agencies reach their 2030 goal of cutting food waste in half? [ Steve Morris: ] Yeah, good question, Matt. In our work, we identify some key challenges to addressing food waste, and having limited information about where the waste is actually occurring in each stage of that supply chain was one of the issues we identified. And basically, what we're saying is without better data on the amount and causes of food waste, it's really difficult to develop the appropriate policies and solutions to address it. [ Matt Oldham: ] So, does this report have recommendations on how agencies could get better data? [ Steve Morris: ] So, what we noted here, Matt, is in terms of what the agencies could do. The government's taken some steps, really, to get a better handle on the food waste issue, why it's occurring, where it's occurring. So, for example, USDA initiated a study to look at food waste on farms, and some of the factors that may influence a farmer's decision to maybe plow produce in the field rather than harvest it. The EPA, USDA, and FDA, they also developed a comprehensive strategic plan to guide their efforts to reduce food waste, and part of that plan is to increase consumer education. We think these are really important steps. We recommended that the agencies, as they implement their plan, basically work together to agree on roles and responsibilities, do a better job of monitoring and reporting on results, and ensuring that all the relevant stakeholders are included. [ Matt Oldham: ] So, Steve, what would you say is the bottom line of this report? [ Steve Morris: ] Well, you know, I would say food waste, it's really an important issue and the government is taking it seriously. In terms of progress, there has been some, but in pursuing that, there is going to be some significant economic, social, and environmental benefits. And just to point out a few, reducing food waste could lower consumer expenses. It could provide additional meals to the hungry and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And so, we think by implementing our recommendations, the government's going to be in a lot better position to realize these benefits and also to achieve the nation's goal of reducing food waste by half by 2030. [ Matt Oldham: ] Steve Morris was talking about a GAO report on the federal government's role in reducing food waste. Thank you for your time, Steve. [ Steve Morris: ] Thanks, Matt. [ Background Music ] [ Matt Oldham: ] And thank you for listening to the Watchdog Report. To hear more podcasts, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. 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