Survey Says Americans Throw Away $640 of Food Every Year

Imagine buying a small order of fast food fries every day, then tossing it in the trash without eating a single bite.  That's about the dollar equivalent of the food each American household throws away daily in the U.S. on average based on the latest survey by the American Chemistry Council.

The survey of 1,000 adults showed that 76 percent of us throw away leftovers at least once a month, 53 percent do so once a week, and over half of us throw away food we purchased, but never got around to cooking or eating.

Seventy percent of the adults in the survey said that throwing away food frustrates them.  Seventy nine percent are bothered by the waste of money, 45 percent are troubled by others in the world who lack food, and 15 percent are concerned about the environmental impact.

The Environmental Protection Agency says food waste makes up the most of landfill content, and adds to greenhouse gas emissions as it decomposes.

So what's the solution?  The U.S. Department of Agriculture notes many foods are still good past their expiration dates.  But bottom line, we need to better manage what we buy, cook and eat.