WASHINGTON – This week, the food industry issued its first-ever analysis of food waste data collected directly from food manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers. The report found that food waste generated through manufacturing tends to be unused ingredients, unfinished product, or trimmings, peels and other unavoidable food waste.

The large volume of food and relatively few manufacturing sites create economies of scale that allow manufacturers to recycle waste at a high rate. Conversely, food waste at the retail level tends to consist of finished products more suitable for donation. Numerous locations and diverse product offerings make food waste diversion a significant logistical challenge for many retailers.

The analysis demonstrates how the industry operating environments are recognizably different, but survey respondents cited common barriers that prevented them from diverting more food waste from landfill. Transportation constraints and liability concerns were the most commonly cited barriers for food donation, while the most frequently reported obstacle to food recycling was an insufficient number of recycling options.

“This new data not only helps us better understand how industry currently is managing food waste, it gives us a benchmark against which we can measure our progress,” said Susan Kujava, industry relations director at General Mills and co-chair of the Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA).

Food donation and composting were retailers’ and wholesalers’ primary diversion methods (representing 32% and 43% of diverted food, respectively). Retailers and wholesalers donated 670 million pounds of safe food that would have otherwise been disposed. The retail/wholesale sector diverted the majority (55.6%) of food waste generated from landfills to higher uses.

“The findings uncovered … are encouraging, but it’s clear we can and must do better when it comes to reducing food waste,” said Michael Hewett, director of environmental and sustainability programs for Publix Super Markets and co-chair of the FWRA. “It’s important to find more ways to keep food and food waste out of landfills, identify the challenges that prevent us from doing so, and develop responsible policies to assist in these efforts.”

The study was conducted by consulting firm BSR and commissioned by the FWRA, a cross-sector industry initiative led by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Food Marketing Institute and National Restaurant Association.

Read more about managing food waste in convenience stores in the upcoming July “Foodservice” issue of NACS Magazine.