Restaurant Food Waste By the Numbers

by Abby Montanez
Brought to you by www.TheDigestOnline.com

Sources:

A typical American restaurant throws out approximately 85% of food that isn’t used. Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/solving-food-waste-in-americas-restaurants-2016-5

95% of a restaurant’s food waste could be either recycled or composted.  Source: https://www.dinegreen.com/waste

For every meal served in a restaurant, a ½ pound of waste is created. Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/11/27/165907972/for-restaurants-food-waste-is-seen-as-low-priority

The average fast food restaurant accumulates 200,000 pounds of food waste per year. Source: https://sites.google.com/site/foodwasteatmcdonalds/home/social-impact 

On average, restaurants would save $7 in operating costs for every $1 invested in programs to reduce food waste. Source: https://champions123.org/the-business-case-for-reducing-food-loss-and-waste-restaurants/ 

In one year, the restaurant industry is estimated to generate more than 11 million tons of waste. Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/in-an-era-of-excessive-food-waste-a-plea-to-restaurants-cut-down-your-portions/2019/03/25/724c7d94-3e01-11e9-9361-301ffb5bd5e6_story.html 

15% of all the food that ends up in landfills comes from restaurants. Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/11/27/165907972/for-restaurants-food-waste-is-seen-as-low-priority 

A single restaurant can produce up to 75,000 pounds of food waste a year. Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/solving-food-waste-in-americas-restaurants-2016-5

About the Author/s

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Abby is The Digest's Managing Editor. She spends her time looking at dogs on Instagram and eating her way around Jersey City.

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1 comment

Tom Lavecchia January 24, 2020 - 7:13 pm

I’m floored by the stats

Reply

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