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Food Loss and Waste

Food should feed families, not landfills

Each year, the average family of four spends nearly $3,000 on food that goes uneaten.

The good news is you can reclaim over $50 every week with some tips for planning, prepping, and preserving the food you purchase. Businesses can be a part of the solution as well and donate safe surplus food to those in need.

Save food. Save money. Save the planet.


Why Food Waste Matters

Up to 40% of food in the U.S. is wasted across the food system, from unharvested crops in fields, unsold food in grocery stores, to uneaten prepared meals in restaurants, cafeterias, and households.

Most food (60%) is wasted at the household level. Every year in New York City, 389.7 pounds of food per household are wasted, making up 21% of our residential waste streams. All of the resources and effort dedicated to growing, transporting, and preparing that food is also wasted.

Instead of serving its purpose of feeding people, wasted food is fueling the climate crisis. It contributes to 58% of methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills and generates 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions across the food supply chain. When climate change impacts air quality, housing, and food supply chains, we all pay the price.

Between high grocery prices, widespread food insecurity, and the climate crisis, it’s clear that we can’t afford to let food become garbage.


Our Zero Food Waste Vision

We can save food and money from being wasted. Rescuing and upcycling safe, healthy food and redirecting it to people in need, away from landfills, can help address food injustices and environmental harm—creating a more resilient and sustainable food system with more equitable food access. Nearly 17% of New Yorkers across the city experience food insecurity. Donating just 5% of the food we would otherwise toss can increase the food available at pantries by 20%.


Goal 2 of MOFP’s Food and Climate Strategy aims to halve food waste by 2030 and divert all food waste from landfills.

  • Strategy 1: Reduce citywide and per capita food waste by 50% by 2030.
    • Reduce food waste from agency-served meals while maintaining high quality and nutritional standards.
    • Reduce food waste from private sector food retail, service and wholesale operations.
    • Support redistribution and consumption of surplus food across the City.
    • Reduce household food waste.
    • Support efforts to reduce single-use foodservice items.
  • Strategy 2: Divert 100% of food waste from landfills.
    • Successfully divert 100% of food waste generated at home and City properties.
    • Enable and incentivize increased food waste diversion from businesses.
    • Expand food waste processing capacity locally and regionally.

A just, equitable, and sustainable food system supports individual, economic, community, and environmental health, ensuring that all people live with dignity and choice. We can save food, save money, and save our planet.

Here’s how you can play a part:

For individuals:

Plan: Plan your meals and snacks and make a shopping list before going to the store to help you get the most value out of your groceries.

Cook: Cooking at home can help you and your family enjoy nourishing and delicious meals, save money, and celebrate connection with your community.

Save: Stop your food from ending up in the trash! Properly stored food stays fresh longer, maintains nutrients, and tastes better. When you properly store food, you’ll have food on hand to make the meals and snacks you planned when you need them, to save you time and money from another grocery trip.

Divert: If food is no longer safe to eat or store, it’s time to get rid of it!


For businesses and nonprofits:

Stay tuned for the Department of Sanitation’s 2026 Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP26) to keep up with how the City is managing food waste.

Together, New Yorkers can build a city where we spend less, eat better, and stop wasting.