Leftovers are a staple of Thanksgiving. Despite that, a new report finds a lot of holiday leftovers are left uneaten.
The report estimates about 320 million pounds of food was thrown away on Thanksgiving. That adds up to around $550 million worth in one day.
ReFED, a non-profit organization focusing on reducing food waste, says around 90% of Thanksgiving hosts intentionally prepare more food than they will need. A lot of that gets sent home with guests. However, around 12% of Thanksgiving hosts — responsible for feeding up to 36 million people — have no plan for managing leftovers. Around half of those surveyed for the report say they aren’t concerned about food waste around the holiday.
This isn’t just a problem around the holidays. ReFED says about 35 million tons of food waste is reported in the U.S. each year. Half of that is in the form of food that spoils in the kitchen or fridge.
ReFED estimates roughly 31% of food grown or produced goes unsold or uneaten. It reports the amount of waste is not decreasing, even with inflation and food prices on the rise.
For more information about food waste and ways to reduce it, click here.
Dining and Cooking