Estimated Food Loss at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States

Transcription

1 Estimated Food Loss at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States Jean C. Buzby Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture Presentation at the OECD Food Chain Analysis Network, Paris, France, June 20-21, [Special thanks to Hodan F. Wells and Jeanine Bentley for their help with the data.] The views expressed here are those of the author and cannot be attributed to the Economic Research Service or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

2 Outline ERS definitions of food loss and waste Loss-Adjusted Food Availability (LAFA) data Food loss estimates for the United States Looking ahead Challenges Current work

3 ERS Definitions Food loss represents the edible amount of food, postharvest, that is available for human consumption but is not consumed for any reason. It includes cooking loss and natural shrinkage (for example, moisture loss); loss from mold, pests, or inadequate climate control; and food waste. Food waste is a component of food loss and occurs when an edible item goes unconsumed, as in food discarded by retailers due to color or appearance and plate waste by consumers.

4 ERS Food Availability Data (core series) Annual Production + Imports + Beginning Inventories Minus Exports + Farm and Industrial Use + Ending Inventories Equals U.S. Food Availability

5 Loss Adjustments For each commodity in the Loss-Adjusted Food Availability (LAFA) Data:

6 Fresh carrots example of the different types of loss adjustements in the ERS Loss-Adjusted Food Availability data (per capita) Year Primary w eight 2 Loss from primary to retail w eight Retail w eight Loss from retail/ institutional to consumer level Consumer w eight Loss at consumer level Nonedible share Other (cooking loss and uneaten food) Total loss, all levels Per capita availability adjusted for loss Calories per cupequivalent Grams per cupequivalent Calories available daily Food Pattern Equivalents available daily Lbs/year Percent Lbs/year Percent Lbs/year Percent Percent Percent Lbs/year Oz/day G/day Number Grams Number Cups

7 Estimated Percent Food Loss in the United States, 2010 Commodity Losses from Food Supply* Retail Consumer Total Percent Grain products Fruit Vegetables Dairy products Meat, poultry, and fish Eggs Tree nuts and peanuts Added sugar and sweeteners Added fats and oils Total * Totals may not add due to rounding and the structure of the data series. Source: USDA/ERS, June 11, 2013.

8 Estimated Total Food Loss in the United States, 2010 Commodity Losses from Food Supply* Retail Consumer Total Billion pounds Grain products Fruit Vegetables Dairy products Meat, poultry, and fish Eggs Tree nuts and peanuts Added sugar and sweeteners Added fats and oils Total * Totals may not add due to rounding. Source: USDA/ERS, June 11, 2013.

9

10

11 Looking Ahead: Challenges Data limitations prevent estimating total food loss at the farm level and at the farm to retail levels. 215 commodities/foods covered Some U.S. data have been discontinued (rice) or suspended (durum flour, lard, edible tallow, margarine, salad and cooking oils, and shortening) for the 2011 data. Most food loss estimates (i.e., conversion factors) for individual foods and levels are for the entire data series range ( ) [2011 will be posted soon for the remaining commodities/foods] Imports of processed, multi-ingredient foods

12 Looking Ahead: Current Work ERS manuscript in review that will provide updated (i.e., 2010) food loss estimates (amount, value, and calories). US Food Waste Challenge launched June 4, 2013 ( ). ERS is in the process of updating retail level loss estimates for fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, and seafood. ERS and its collaborators (Jaspreet Aulakh at Purdue University and FAO) will develop a consistent and globally applicable conceptual model for estimating post-harvest food losses based on a literature review and industry and other expert consultations.

13 Further Reading Buzby, Jean C., Hodan Farah Wells, and Jeanine Bentley. ERS s Food Loss Data Help Inform the Food Waste Discussion. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Amber Waves (June 3, 2013) Buzby, Jean C. and Jeffrey Hyman. Total and Per Capita Value of Food Loss in the United States. Food Policy, 37(2012): Buzby, Jean C., Jeffrey Hyman, Hayden Stewart, and Hodan F. Wells. The Value of Retail- and Consumer-Level Fruit and Vegetable Losses in the United States. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 45,3(Fall 2011): Buzby, Jean C., Hodan Farah Wells, Bruce Axtman, and Jana Mickey. Supermarket Loss Estimates for Fresh Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry, and Seafood and Their Use in the ERS Loss-Adjusted Food Availability Data. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, EIB-44, March Hodges, R.J., J.C. Buzby, and B. Bennett. Postharvest Losses and Waste in Developed and Less Developed Countries: Opportunities to Improve Resource Use. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Vol. 149, Supplement S1((November 2010):: doi: /S postharvest-losses-and-waste.pdf [Note: In table 1 "tonnes" is not a U.S. short or long ton. (The appropriate conversion factor for this kind of tonne is: 1 tonne = pounds). Muth, Mary K., Shawn A. Karns, Samara J. Nielsen, Jean C. Buzby, and Hodan Farah Wells. Consumer-Level Food Loss Estimates and Their Use in the ERS Loss-Adjusted Food Availability Data. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Technical Bulletin No. (TB-1927) 123 pp, January Loss Adjusted Food Availability Data can be found at: Loss Adjusted Food Availability Documentation can be found at: (per-capita)-data-system/loss-adjusted-food-availability-documentation.aspx

14 JEAN C. BUZBY, PH.D. Diet, Safety, and Health Economics Branch Chief Economic Research Service, USDA USDA/ Economic Research Service 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Mail Stop 1800 Washington, DC Phone: (202) Fax: (202)