Appendices:
Estimating the Cost of Food Waste
to American Consumers
(EPA 600/R25/048, April 2025)
Contents
Appendix A: LAFA Consumer Food Waste by Commodity 2
Appendix B: LAFA and NielsenlQ Commodity Matching 17
Appendix C: Additional Estimates of U.S. Food Commodity Prices 23
Appendix D: Literature Review Methodology 24
References for Appendices 25
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Appendix A: LAFA Consumer Food Waste by
Commodity
Below are the per capita consumer food waste estimates for each individual commodity reported in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's)
Loss-Adjusted Food Availability (LAFA) data series (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2025a). The black rows identify the main commodity groups
(e.g., grain products), the light grey italicized rows provide subtotals for specific types of commodities (e.g., wheat flour, rye flour, corn products, oat
products), and the dark grey rows provide subtotals for similar groupings within each product group (e.g., total grain products).
To calculate the consumer food waste estimates, the per capita availability adjusted for consumer-level loss (e.g., cooking loss, uneaten food) was
subtracted from the total consumer weight (see Equation 1). In some cases, the adjusted per capita availability was subtracted from the edible weight
instead of the total consumer weight because the LAFA data remove inedible portions of foods from the loss estimates (see section 2.1 in this report
for further clarification). These cases and subsequent values are highlighted in orange, as indicated by footnote 1.
For some individual commodities (meat, poultry, eggs, nuts, and added fats and oils), adjustments were made to generate more updated estimates
than were provided by the most recent LAFA data; these years and estimates are highlighted in blue. Please refer to the footnotes for specific
adjustments, as the calculations and methodologies varied for different commodities.
Table A-1: LAFA consumer food waste by commodity.
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
GRAIN PRODUCTS
Grain products
Wheat flour
White and whole wheat flour
2022
21.30
Grain products
Wheat flour
Durum flour
2022
2.10
Grain products
Wheat flour
TOTAL
23.40
Grain products
Rye flour
Rye flour
2022
0.06
Grain products
Rye flour
TOTAL
0.06
1 Highlighted cells indicate per capita food waste values that use edible weight to calculate per capita food waste (due to the removal of nonedible portions accounted for in consumer
weight).
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers 2
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Grain products
Corn products
Corn flour and meal
2022
3.70
Grain products
Corn products
Corn hominy and grits
2022
1.70
Grain products
Corn products
Corn starch
2022
0.85
Grain products
Corn products
TOTAL
6.25
Grain products
Oat products
Oat products
2022
1.29
Grain products
Oat products
TOTAL
1.29
Grain products
TOTAL GRAIN PRODUCTS2
TOTAL
31.00
MEAT, FISH, EGGS, NUTS
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Red meat
Beef
20213
11.25
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Red meat
Veal
2021
0.02
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Red meat
Pork
2021
14.04
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Red meat
Lamb
2021
0.25
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
TOTAL MEAT
TOTAL
25.56
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Poultry
Chicken
2021
9.81
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Poultry
Turkey
2021
4.09
2 Rice is not included because annual data and per capita estimates for rice are unavailable beyond 2010. If the LAFA rice value from 2010 was used in this report's estimation, the total
category cost provided in Table 1 would be approximately $15 higher, or a 30% increase.
3 For all cells with blue highlights and italicized values within the meat and poultry groupings, the boneless per capita availability from the Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System
(FADS) data series was utilized to calculate the consumer weight using retail/institutional- and consumer-level loss percentages, then followed the same calculation methods as detailed in
the LAFA methodology (Kantor et al., 1997; Muth et al., 2011) and within this report (section 2.1).
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
3
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
TOTAL POULTRY
TOTAL
13.90
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Fresh and frozen fish
Fresh and frozen fish
2018
2.29
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Fresh and frozen fish
Fresh and frozen shellfish
2018
2.18
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
Fresh and frozen fish
TOTAL
4.47
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Canned fish and shellfish
Canned salmon
2018
0.02
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Canned fish and shellfish
Canned sardines
2018
0.08
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Canned fish and shellfish
Canned tuna
2018
0.34
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Canned fish and shellfish
Canned shellfish
2018
0.08
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Canned fish and shellfish
Other canned fish
2018
0.09
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
Canned fish and shellfish
TOTAL
0.60
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Cured fish
Cured fish
2018
0.05
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
Cured fish
TOTAL
0.05
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
TOTAL FISH AND SHELLFISH
TOTAL
5.12
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Eggs
Eggs
20214
6.78
4 For eggs, the per capita farm weight from the FADS data series was used as the primary weight, then followed the same calculation methods as detailed in the LAFA methodology
(Kantor et al., 1997; Muth et al., 2011) and within this report (section 2.1).
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
4
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
TOTAL EGGS
TOTAL
6.78
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Peanuts
Peanuts
20205
0.30
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
Peanuts
TOTAL
0.30
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Tree nuts
Almonds
2020
0.50
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Tree nuts
Hazelnuts (filberts)
2020
0.01
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Tree nuts
Pecans
2020
0.07
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Tree nuts
Walnuts
2020
0.10
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Tree nuts
Macadamia nuts
2020
0.00
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Tree nuts
Pistachio nuts
2020
0.09
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Tree nuts
Other tree nuts
2020
0.22
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
Tree nuts
TOTAL
0.99
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
TOTAL TREE NUTS AND PEANUTS
TOTAL
1.29
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Coconut
Coconut
2020
0.08
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
Coconut
TOTAL
0.08
5 For tree nuts and peanuts, the per capita weight from the FADS data series was used as the primary weight, then followed the same calculation methods as detailed in the LAFA
methodology (Kantor et al., 1997; Muth et al., 2011) and within this report (section 2.1).
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
5
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Meat, fish, eggs,
nuts
TOTAL MEAT, FISH, EGGS, NUTS
TOTAL
52.73
FRUIT
Fruit
Fresh citrus
Fresh oranges and temples
2022
1.79
Fruit
Fresh citrus
Fresh tangerines and tangelos
2022
1.87
Fruit
Fresh citrus
Fresh grapefruit
2022
0.09
Fruit
Fresh citrus
Fresh lemons
2022
1.05
Fruit
Fresh citrus
Fresh limes
2022
1.39
Fruit
Fresh citrus
TOTAL
6.19
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh apples
2021
2.21
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh apricots
2021
0.01
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh avocados
2021
1.57
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh bananas
2021
3.30
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh blueberries
2021
0.16
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh cantaloupe
2021
0.85
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh cherries
2021
0.55
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh cranberries
2021
0.01
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh grapes
2021
2.24
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh honeydew melons
2021
0.20
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh kiwifruit
2021
0.24
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh mangoes
2021
0.25
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh papaya
2021
0.10
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh peaches and nectarines
2021
0.74
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh pears
2021
0.25
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh pineapple
2021
0.96
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh plums and prunes
2021
0.10
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh raspberries
2021
0.15
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh strawberries
2021
1.90
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh watermelon
2021
0.65
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
TOTAL
16.43
Fruit
TOTAL FRESH FRUIT
TOTAL
22.61
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned apples and applesauce
2021
0.25
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned apricots
2021
0.01
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned sweet cherries
2021
0.01
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned tart cherries
2021
0.02
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned peaches
2021
0.17
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned pears
2021
0.09
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned pineapple
2021
0.16
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned plums and prunes
2021
0.00
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned olives
2021
0.22
Fruit
Canned fruit
TOTAL
0.94
Fruit
Frozen berries
Frozen blueberries
2021
0.24
Fruit
Frozen berries
Frozen raspberries
2021
0.09
Fruit
Frozen berries
Frozen strawberries
2021
0.48
Fruit
Frozen berries
Other frozen berries
2021
0.02
Fruit
Frozen berries
TOTAL
0.83
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
Frozen apples
2021
0.12
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
Frozen apricots
2021
0.00
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
Frozen sweet cherries
2021
0.07
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
Frozen tart cherries
2021
0.10
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
Frozen peaches
2021
0.10
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
Frozen plums and prunes
2015
0.00
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
TOTAL
0.38
Fruit
Dried fruit
Dried apples
2021
0.01
Fruit
Dried fruit
Dried apricots
2021
0.01
Fruit
Dried fruit
Dried dates
2021
0.08
Fruit
Dried fruit
Dried figs
2021
0.03
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Fruit
Dried fruit
Dried peaches
2021
0.00
Fruit
Dried fruit
Dried plums (prunes)
2021
0.03
Fruit
Dried fruit
TOTAL
0.17
Fruit
Citrus juice
Grapefruit juice
2021
0.05
Fruit
Citrus juice
Lemon juice
2021
0.14
Fruit
Citrus juice
Lime juice
2021
0.03
Fruit
Citrus juice
Orange, temple, tangerine and tangelo juice
2021
1.84
Fruit
Citrus juice
TOTAL
2.06
Fruit
Noncitrus juice
Apple juice
2021
1.63
Fruit
Noncitrus juice
Cranberry juice
2021
0.19
Fruit
Noncitrus juice
Grape juice
2021
0.26
Fruit
Noncitrus juice
Pineapple juice
2021
0.16
Fruit
Noncitrus juice
Prune juice
2021
0.03
Fruit
Noncitrus juice
TOTAL
2.28
Fruit
TOTAL PROCESSED FRUIT
TOTAL
6.67
DAIRY
Dairy
All plain milk
Plain whole milk
2021
8.43
Dairy
All plain milk
Plain 2-percent milk
2021
7.75
Dairy
All plain milk
Plain 1-percent milk
2021
2.89
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
9
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Dairy
All plain milk
Skim milk
2021
1.43
Dairy
All flavored milk
Whole flavored milk
2021
0.97
Dairy
All flavored milk
Lower fat flavored milk
2021
4.01
Dairy
Buttermilk
Buttermilk
2021
0.22
Dairy
Dairy share of eggnog
Dairy share of eggnog
2021
0.19
Dairy
Miscellaneous fluid milk
Miscellaneous fluid milk
2021
0.70
Dairy
TOTAL FLUID MILK
TOTAL
26.58
Dairy
Refrigerated yogurt
Refrigerated yogurt
2021
2.64
Dairy
All American cheese
Cheddar cheese
2021
1.18
Dairy
All American cheese
Other American cheese
2021
1.22
Dairy
All Italian cheese
Mozzarella cheese
2021
3.58
Dairy
All Italian cheese
Other Italian cheese
2021
0.53
Dairy
Total miscellaneous cheese
Swiss cheese
2021
0.49
Dairy
Total miscellaneous cheese
Brick cheese
2021
0.00
Dairy
Total miscellaneous cheese
Muenster cheese
2021
0.17
Dairy
Total miscellaneous cheese
Blue cheese
2021
0.12
Dairy
Total miscellaneous cheese
Other miscellaneous cheese
2021
0.61
Dairy
Total cottage cheese
Regular cottage cheese
2021
0.28
Dairy
Total cottage cheese
Lowfat cottage cheese
2021
0.03
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
10
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Dairy
Frozen dairy products
Regular ice cream
2021
2.54
Dairy
Frozen dairy products
Lowfat ice cream (ice milk)
2021
1.37
Dairy
Frozen dairy products
Frozen yogurt, sherbet, and other misc. frozen
products
2021
1.01
Dairy
All evaporated condensed milk
Evaporated and condensed canned whole milk
2021
0.20
Dairy
All evaporated condensed milk
Evaporated and condensed bulk whole milk
2021
0.07
Dairy
All evaporated condensed milk
Evaporated and condensed bulk and canned
skim milk
2021
0.59
Dairy
Dry milk products
Dry whole milk
2021
0.09
Dairy
Dry milk products
Nonfat dry milk
2021
0.95
Dairy
Dry milk products
Dry buttermilk
2021
0.15
Dairy
TOTAL OTHER DAIRY
TOTAL
17.82
VEGETABLES
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh artichokes
2022
0.03
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh asparagus
2022
0.12
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh bell peppers
2022
2.86
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh broccoli
2022
0.33
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh Brussels sprouts
2022
0.10
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh cabbage
2022
1.07
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh carrots
2022
2.27
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
11
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh cauliflower
2022
0.03
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh celery
2022
1.18
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh collard greens
2022
0.14
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh sweet corn
2022
0.39
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh cucumbers
2022
1.53
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh eggplant
2022
0.15
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh escarole and endive
2022
0.02
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh garlic
2022
0.69
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh kale
2022
0.15
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh head lettuce
2022
1.77
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh Romaine and leaf lettuce
2022
1.79
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh lima beans
2022
0.00
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh mushrooms
2021
0.35
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh mustard greens
2022
0.08
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh okra
2022
0.09
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh onions
2022
6.52
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh potatoes
2022
3.61
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh pumpkin
2022
2.00
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh radishes
2022
0.24
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
12
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh snap beans
2022
0.19
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh spinach
2022
0.10
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh squash
2022
0.75
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh sweet potatoes
2022
1.55
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh tomatoes
2022
0.88
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh turnip greens
2022
0.03
Vegetables
TOTAL FRESH VEGETABLES
TOTAL
31.01
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned asparagus
2019
0.00
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned snap beans
2019
0.33
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned cabbage (sauerkraut)
2022
0.06
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned carrots
2019
0.27
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned sweet corn
2019
0.22
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned cucumbers (pickles)
2022
0.04
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned green peas
2019
0.08
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned mushrooms
2022
0.06
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned chile peppers
2022
0.20
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned potatoes
2022
0.09
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned tomatoes
2022
6.10
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Other canned vegetables
2022
0.51
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
13
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Vegetables
Canned vegetables6
TOTAL
7.96
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen asparagus
2019
0.01
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen snap beans
2019
0.32
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen broccoli
2022
0.22
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen carrots
2019
0.31
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen cauliflower
2022
0.14
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen sweet corn
2019
0.55
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen green peas
2019
0.21
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen lima beans
2019
0.05
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen potatoes
2022
4.01
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen spinach
2019
0.14
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Miscellaneous frozen vegetables
2022
0.88
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables1
TOTAL
6.84
Vegetables
Total dehydrated vegetables
Dehydrated onions
2022
0.01
Vegetables
Total dehydrated vegetables
Dehydrated potatoes
2022
0.06
Vegetables
Total dehydrated vegetables
Potato chips and shoestring potatoes
2022
0.19
Vegetables
Total dehydrated vegetables
TOTAL
0.26
6 USDA's estimates for canned vegetables were discontinued in 2011.
7 USDA's estimates for frozen vegetables were discontinued in 2015.
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
14
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Vegetables
Legumes—dry peas and lentils
Dry peas and lentils
2022
0.33
Vegetables
Legumes—dry peas and lentils
TOTAL
0.33
Vegetables
Legumes—dry edible beans
Dry black beans
2022
0.14
Vegetables
Legumes—dry edible beans
Dry great northern beans
2022
0.01
Vegetables
Legumes—dry edible beans
Dry lima beans
2022
0.01
Vegetables
Legumes—dry edible beans
Dry navy beans
2022
0.05
Vegetables
Legumes—dry edible beans
Dry pinto beans
2022
0.22
Vegetables
Legumes—dry edible beans
Dry red kidney beans
2022
0.05
Vegetables
Legumes—dry edible beans
Other dry beans
2022
0.16
Vegetables
Legumes—dry edible beans
TOTAL
0.64
Vegetables
TOTAL PROCESSED VEGETABLES
TOTAL
16.04
ADDED SUGAR AND SWEETENERS
Sugar
Refined cane and beet sugar
Refined cane and beet sugar
2023
20.70
Sugar
Total honey and syrup
Edible syrups
2023
0.10
Sugar
Total honey and syrup
Honey
2023
0.17
Sugar
Corn sweeteners
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
2023
11.43
Sugar
Corn sweeteners
Glucose
2023
3.82
Sugar
Corn sweeteners
Dextrose
2023
0.80
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
15
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Latest
LAFA year
Per capita
consumer
food waste1
(Ibs./capita)
Sugar
TOTAL ADDED SUGAR AND
SWEETENERS
TOTAL
37.02
ADDED FATS AND OILS
2010 and
Fats
TOTAL ADDED FATS AND OILS
Added fats and oils8
20179
14.82
8 Added fats and oils includes butter (the only commodity updated in 2017), margarine, lard, edible beef tallow, shortening, salad and cooking oils, and other edible fats and oils.
9 Within the added fats and oils category, only butter had been updated since 2010, with the most recent data year being from 2017. To generate a more updated estimate: Total Added
Fats and Oils consumer weight (2010) - Butter consumer weight (2010) + Butter consumer weight (2017) = Total Added Fats and Oils consumer weight = Per capita consumer food
available, then followed the same calculation methods as detailed in the LAFA methodology (Kantor et al., 1997; Muth et al., 2011) and within this report (section 2.1).
Appendix A: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
16
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Appendix B: LAFA and NIQ Commodity Matching
Some commodities across the LAFA and NielsenlQ (NIQ) Syndicated Database Retail Measurement Service10 datasets did not have a one-to-one
relationship, were not available in NIQ, or did not have more detailed LAFA commodity information. This appendix notes how the commodities aligned
between datasets and any necessary substitutions. All commodities not listed in this appendix are aligned between the datasets. Food waste values
were not available for some NIQ commodities; those commodities use the average price data for multiple commodities. Numerical averages were
used for those commodities. For example, NIQ has price data for canned clams, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, scallops, and shrimp, but LAFA only
has a food waste value for "canned fish and shellfish."
Table B-1: LAFA and NIQ commodity matching.
LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Matching LAFA and NIQ commodities
GRAIN PRODUCTS
Grain products
Wheat flour
White and whole wheat flour
Separate in NIQ. Averaged the NIQ price data for white
flour and whole wheat flour to match LAFA.
Grain products
Wheat flour
Durum flour
Not available in NIQ. Used wheat flour in NIQ as a
substitute.
Grain products
Corn products
Corn flour and meal
Separate in NIQ. Averaged the NIQ price data for corn flour
and meal to match LAFA.
MEAT, FISH, EGGS, NUTS
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Fresh and frozen fish
Fresh and frozen fish
Used the average of all seafood (fresh) and seafood
(frozen), excluding shellfish in NIQ.
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Fresh and frozen fish
Fresh and frozen shellfish
Used the average of all seafood (fresh) and seafood
(frozen), shellfish in NIQ.
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Canned fish and shellfish
Canned shellfish
Used the average of canned clams, crab, lobster, mussels,
oysters, scallops, shrimp in NIQ.
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Canned fish and shellfish
Other canned fish
LAFA does not define what other canned fish includes.
Used other canned seafood in NIQ as a substitute.
10 NIQ is not responsible for and was not involved in analyzing and preparing the results reported herein or in developing, reviewing, or confirming the research approaches used to
develop this report.
Appendix B: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers 17
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Matching LAFA and NIQ commodities
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Cured fish
Cured fish
LAFA does not define what cured fish includes. Used
average of all smoked seafood in NIQ as a substitute.
Meat, fish, eggs, nuts
Tree nuts
Other tree nuts
LAFA does not define what other tree nuts include. Used
average of almonds, Brazil nuts, and cashews in NIQ.
FRUIT
Fruit
Fresh citrus
Fresh tangerines and tangelos
Separate in NIQ. Averaged the NIQ price data for fresh
tangerines and tangelos to match LAFA.
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh peaches and nectarines
Separate in NIQ. Averaged the NIQ price data for fresh
peaches and nectarines to match LAFA.
Fruit
Fresh noncitrus
Fresh plums and prunes
Separate in NIQ. Averaged the NIQ price data for fresh
plums and prunes to match LAFA.
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned apples and applesauce
Separate in NIQ. Averaged the NIQ price data for canned
apples and applesauce to match LAFA.
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned sweet cherries
NIQ does not disaggregate sweet vs. tart. Used canned
cherries as a substitute.
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned tart cherries
NIQ does not disaggregate sweet vs. tart. Used canned
cherries as a substitute.
Fruit
Canned fruit
Canned plums and prunes
Separate in NIQ. Averaged the NIQ price data for plums
and prunes to match LAFA.
Fruit
Frozen berries
Other frozen berries
LAFA does not define what other frozen berries includes.
Used average of remaining berries and cranberries in NIQ.
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
Frozen sweet cherries
NIQ does not disaggregate sweet vs. tart. Used frozen
cherries as a substitute.
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
Frozen tart cherries
NIQ does not disaggregate sweet vs. tart. Used frozen
cherries as a substitute.
Appendix B: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Matching LAFA and NIQ commodities
Fruit
Frozen other fruit
Frozen plums and prunes
NIQ only has plums. Used plums as substitute.
Fruit
Citrus juice
Lime juice
No price data available. Used limeade as a substitute.
DAIRY
Dairy
All flavored milk
Whole flavored milk
LAFA does not define what whole flavored milk includes.
Used average of chocolate, strawberry, vanilla in NIQ.
Dairy
All flavored milk
Lower fat flavored milk
LAFA does not define what lower fat flavored milk includes.
Used average of reduced fat chocolate, strawberry, vanilla
in NIQ.
Dairy
Miscellaneous fluid milk
Miscellaneous fluid milk
LAFA does not define what miscellaneous fluid milk
includes. Used average of fat free, remaining milk, cream,
and half and half11 in NIQ.
Dairy
All American cheese
Cheddar cheese
Average of Cheddar and Cheddar blends
Dairy
All Italian cheese
Other Italian cheese
Average of Italian, Italian blends, parmesan, parmesan +
Romano blends, provolone, ricotta
Dairy
Total miscellaneous
cheese
Brick cheese
LAFA does not define what brick cheese includes. Used
average of Bricks/Chunks segment in NIQ.
Dairy
Total miscellaneous
cheese
Other miscellaneous cheese
LAFA does not define what other miscellaneous cheese
includes. Used average of all other cheeses in NIQ not
captured above.
Dairy
Total cottage cheese
Low-fat cottage cheese
Used reduced fat cottage cheese as a substitute.
11 Although "miscellaneous fluid milk" does not detail the specific food commodities included in this grouping, other commodities in this category are qualified by the "dairy share of the
specific commodity (e.g., buttermilk). NIQ does not include this specificity or breakdown, and since this report's methodology includes the closest matches of products in the two data
series, products like cream and half and half that are part dairy and part fat are included in the price calculations for this sub-commodity as best estimates.
Appendix B: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers 19
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Matching LAFA and NIQ commodities
Dairy
Frozen dairy products
Frozen yogurt, sherbet, and
other miscellaneous frozen
products
Used average of frozen yogurt, sherbet, sorbet, gelato,
frozen custard, nondairy in NIQ.
Dairy
All evaporated
condensed milk
Evaporated and condensed
canned whole milk
Used total evaporated milk as substitute.
Dairy
All evaporated
condensed milk
Evaporated and condensed
bulk whole milk
Used total evaporated milk as substitute.
Dairy
All evaporated
condensed milk
Evaporated and condensed
bulk and canned skim milk
Used total evaporated milk as substitute.
Dairy
Dry milk products
Dry buttermilk
Not available in NIQ. Used powdered buttermilk as a
substitute.
VEGETABLES
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables
Fresh escarole and endive
Separate in NIQ. Averaged the NIQ price data for escarole
and endive to match LAFA.
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Canned snap beans
Called green beans in NIQ
Vegetables
Canned vegetables
Other canned vegetables
LAFA does not define what other canned vegetables
includes. Used canned mixed vegetables in NIQ.
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Frozen snap beans
Called green beans in NIQ
Vegetables
Frozen vegetables
Miscellaneous frozen
vegetables
LAFA does not define what miscellaneous frozen
vegetables includes. Used frozen mixed vegetables in NIQ.
Vegetables
Total dehydrated
vegetables
Dehydrated potatoes
Not available in NIQ. Used dried remaining vegetables in
NIQ as a substitute.
Appendix B: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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LAFA commodity
LAFA sub-commodity 1
LAFA sub-commodity 2
Matching LAFA and NIQ commodities
ADDED SUGAR AND SWEETENERS
Sugar
Refined cane and beet
sugar
Refined cane and beet sugar
Not available in NIQ. Used granulated white sugar in NIQ
as a substitute.
Sugar
Total honey and syrup
Edible syrups
LAFA does not define what edible syrups include. Used
average of grocery, breakfast syrups and grocery, dessert
syrup in NIQ as a substitute.
Sugar
Corn sweeteners
Glucose
Not available in NIQ. Used sugar and sweeteners and
sugar in NIQ as a substitute.
Sugar
Corn sweeteners
Dextrose
Not available in NIQ. Used corn syrup in NIQ as a
substitute.
ADDED FATS AND OILS
Fats
TOTAL ADDED FATS
AND OILS
Added fats and oils
Used all oils, butter, margarine spreads, and
substitutes in NIQ.
Appendix B: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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While Figure 1 in this report compares the commodity categories by absolute weight, some foods and food categories are naturally lighter or heavier.
Commodities can also be compared by the percentage of how much is wasted from the edible food available. This was calculated by dividing the per
capita consumer food waste value of each commodity category by the per capita edible food available (Table 1 in this report). Like Figure 1 in this
report, Figure B-1 shows the per capita cost of consumer food waste for each commodity in order, from highest to lowest. While meat does represent
the greatest savings potential based on total per capita cost, the fish and seafood and added sugar and sweeteners categories have the highest
percentages of food wasted. Additionally, processed fruit and tree nuts and peanuts are the two commodity categories with the lowest percent per
capita of food waste.
¦ Per capita cost of consumer food waste ($/capita/year) ¦ Percent per capita food waste
$160.00 60%
$140.00
53%
51%
$120.00
$100.00
$80.00
$60.00
$40.00
$20.00
39%
32%
28%
29%
30%
25%
I
11%
.I
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Meat Other dairy Processed Fish and Fresh Added sugar Poultry Fresh fruit Grain* Processed Added fats Fluid milk Eggs Tree nuts
fruit seafood vegetables and vegetables and oils and peanuts
sweeteners
Figure B-1: Per capita cost of consumer food waste and percent per capita food waste, by commodity group.
Appendix B: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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Appendix C: Additional Estimates of
U.S. Food Commodity Prices
To determine the cost of consumer food waste, a literature review was conducted to identify publicly
available commodity price data. Four sources were identified (in addition to the NIQ database, which is
not publicly available) and are summarized below.
Table C-1: Summary of available food commodity price data.
Data source
Food commodity data available by source
NielsenlQ (NIQ)
Syndicated Database
Retail Measurement
Service (2024)
The NIQ Syndicated Database Retail Measurement Service collects
data for 50 million products from nearly 900,000 stores globally each
month. NIQ offers 2023 dollar per pound price estimates for most of the
200-plus individual LAFA commodities.
U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS)
Consumer Price Index
(CPI) (2024)
Two CPI datasets include the average price data and the CPI for all
urban consumers. Average price data are available for select food items,
which are primarily reported in price (in dollars) per pound. CPI for all
urban consumers is a measure of the average change overtime in the
prices paid by urban consumers for select consumer goods and
services, including food and beverage categories.
Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) Food
Price Indices (2025)
The FAO data breaks out by five aggregated categories: meat, dairy,
cereals, oils, and sugar. The FAO Food Price Indices provide varying
levels of disaggregation of food price data for specific commodities.
U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA)
Agricultural Marketing
Service Market News:
National Weekly Retail
Activity Reports (2025)
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Market News provides
National Weekly Retail Activity Reports, which include the advertised
retail pricing information for hundreds of commodities at major retail
supermarket outlets each week. USDA gathers this information from
publicly available sources, including retailer websites.
USDA Economic
Research Service Fruit
and Vegetable Prices
(2025b)
The USDA estimates average prices for more than 150 commonly
consumed fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. The USDA data
are not available for other commodity categories (e.g., meats, grains,
fats). USDA price data are available for dairy products at
httDs://www.ers.usda.aov/data-Droducts/Drice-SDreads-from-farm-to-
consumer and meat products at httDs://www.ers.usda.aov/data-
Droducts/meat-Drice-soreads.
Appendix C: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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Appendix D: Literature Review
Methodology
This appendix presents the methodology that was used to identify, screen, and manage literature sources
to estimate the cost of food waste to American consumers. The literature review included "grey literature"
publications from federal, state, and local government; other publicly available datasets; and peer-
reviewed literature from academic journals.
Peer-Reviewed Literature Search Strategy
Peer-reviewed literature was identified by searching selected publication databases using the keywords
and Boolean logic defined in Table D-1. Searches were conducted using AGRICOLA, AGRIS, Google
Scholar, and MDPI. The literature review keyword strings were combined with "AND" to connect food
waste and cost. Search results were limited to publications written in English. EPA processed the titles
and abstracts of publications the literature search returned to eliminate duplicates, then screened the
publications to identify a subset of "key" sources that met criteria for relevance and usefulness. Key
sources were "tagged" to pre-defined topics to help authors identify the most relevant sources for topics
covered in this report.
Table D-1: Literature Review Keywords
Category
Example keywords
Food waste identification
Food AND ("waste*" OR "loss" OR "disposal" OR "FLW" OR "scraps")
Cost
("cost" OR "consumer cost" OR "economic impact" OR "household"
OR "per capita" OR "retail and consumer")
EPA screened and prioritized references by using ICF's Document Classification and Topic Extraction
Resource (DoCTER) software for topic extraction, also referred to as clustering. The titles and abstracts
from all searches were run through DoCTER's topic extraction function. Each study was assigned to a
single cluster based on text similarities in titles and abstracts. Clusters were prioritized or eliminated for
screening based on the relevance of the keywords identified. For each search, EPA saved all references
using Zotero, a tool that manages bibliographic data and related research materials, such as PDF and
ePUB files.
Grey Literature Search Strategy
EPA supplemented the peer-reviewed literature search with relevant grey literature from targeted Google
and domain searches for selected government or nongovernmental organizations. The titles and URLs of
potential sources identified during the searches were compiled in an Excel file for subsequent screening.
Literature Review Results
This literature search identified 232 initial peer-reviewed sources and prioritized 102 sources using
DoCTER's topic extraction function to identify clusters of relevant keywords. To further refine the list of
key sources, article titles and abstracts were screened for relevance to this report, including relevant
geographic coverage and information about per capita cost estimates of consumer food waste. Table 3 in
the main report summarizes information found in four key sources (in addition to this report and the 2014
USDA report) regarding the cost of consumer food waste. For the ReFED source, an earlier ReFED
report was found during the literature search and exchanged for the most recent when it was released in
February 2025. These sources, as well as the key grey literature and additional key sources identified in
supplemental targeted literature searches, served as the primary corpus of literature that was used to
synthesize information and develop this report. While the literature search initially returned results for
consumer- and household-level estimates, results were furthered narrowed to consumer-level estimates
since these provide the best context for this study's results.
Appendix D: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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References for Appendices
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2025, March 7). FAO Food Price Index. World
Food Situation, https://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/foodpricesindex/en/
NielsenlQ. (2024). [NielsenlQ Retail Measurement] [Dataset],
https://nielseniq.com/global/en/products/retail-measurement-services-rms/
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Consumer Price Index (CP!) databases.
https ://www. b Is .g ov/cpi/d ata. ht m
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2025a). Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System [Dataset].
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-per-capita-data-system
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2025b, January 8). Fruit and vegetable prices.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/fruit-and-vegetable-prices
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service. (2025). Retail reports.
https ://www .ams.usda.gov/ma rket-n ews/retai I
References for Appendices: Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers
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