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Food Waste: An Introduction to the Issue and Questions that Remain

Food waste is a problem throughout the supply chain and across the globe that is increasingly capturing the attention of policymakers. Gustavsson et al. (2011) estimated that one-third of the food produced for consumption globally is lost or wasted. Within the U.S., Buzby et al. (2014) estimated that 31% of food available at the retail and consumer levels was wasted, which translates to a loss of $161 billion and 141 trillion calories per year (enough calories to feed ~ 193,000,000 people a daily diet of 2,000 calories for a year!) – not to mention the loss of the (scarce) resource inputs like land, water, and energy that went into food production.

How is food waste defined?

Discussions on food waste may also reference the term “food loss”; the terms sound synonymous, but there are distinctions between the two. An ERS report by Buzby et al. (2014) uses the following definitions for food loss and food waste:

• “ Food loss represents the amount of edible food, postharvest, that is available for human consumption but is not consumed for any reason. It includes cooking loss and natural shrinkage; loss from mold, pests, or inadequate climate control; and plate waste.”
• “ Food waste is a component of food loss and occurs when an edible item goes unconsumed, such as food discarded by retailers due to undesirable color or blemishes and plate waste discarded by consumers.”

Efforts to address food loss have been ongoing in developing countries, such as improvements in harvesting and storage technology, biological controls, etc. For more on research addressing food loss (postharvest loss), see Affognon et al. (2015) and Hodges et al. (2011). Conversely, efforts to address food waste have been more recent. The remainder of this article focuses on the more narrowly defined issue of food waste.

What is being done to reduce food waste?

The costs of food waste (economic and otherwise) have driven efforts in both the public and private sectors to reduce food waste along the supply chain. In the public sector, there are national and international initiatives ( U.S. Food Waste Challenge and SAVE FOOD Initiative , respectively) that set waste reduction goals and are designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and best practices for waste reduction across the supply chain. Further, there has been an increase in legislation related to food waste. In the U.S., legislation was introduced to clarify date labeling (“sell by”, “use by”, “best by”, etc.) on food products. In France, a new law was passed that bans supermarkets from throwing away unsold food; instead, they will be required to donate it (Chrisafis, 2016). Although less recent, the South Korean government implemented a volume-based food waste fee system in 2010 where households are forced to pay based on the weight of their waste.

In the private sector, we have also seen the formation of knowledge-sharing groups (e.g., Food Waste Reduction Alliance ). In addition, many technological solutions have been introduced that are designed to help track waste (e.g., LeanPath ), more optimally plan, shop and cook, donate leftovers, and so on (Hutcherson, 2013). Finally, there has been an increase in the selling of “ugly” fruits and vegetables (those fruits and vegetables that would not normally comply with the cosmetic standards required by retailers). The movement is credited to a grocery retailer in France (Intermarche) but has quickly expanded.  Major U.S. retailers such as Walmart and Whole Foods are offering “ugly” fruits and vegetables in their produce sections.  Both efforts are currently in pilot phase, but with the intention to expand (see Godoy, 2016 for more information).

Questions that remain about food waste

While many reports and food waste reduction initiatives in the public and private sectors identify households (consumers) as one of the biggest sources of food waste, there has been little research to understand how households actually make decisions on throwing out food. Further, this decision is rarely framed as an economic decision, with costs and benefits. There are most certainly cases where the decision to waste may be optimal, depending on one’s preferences, incentives, and resource constraints. For instance, an individual may prefer to throw out milk that is several days past the expiration date rather than run the risk of becoming ill. In discussing his household production model, Becker (1965) suggests that Americans should be more wasteful than people in developing countries because the opportunity cost of their time exceeds the market prices of food and other goods. Thus, it will be critical for future research to account for the different factors that play a role in the keep/waste decision to determine the tradeoffs consumers make in this process.

In addition to examining the waste decision in economic terms, it will be important to explore the heterogeneity across consumers when making these decisions. In other words, we may be able to identify that, in general, consumers will be more averse to wasting food when the cost of that food was high or when there is a replacement readily available; however, some types of people may be even more or less responsive to such factors than the average person. Research has already suggested that income may impact a household’s likelihood of wasting food (Becker, 1965; Daniel, 2016; Qi and Roe, 2016); however, other factors such as age, education, SNAP participation, etc. should also be examined. Understanding these differences may enable policymakers or advocacy groups to better tailor educational efforts to high-waste households.

A final question related to household food waste is: how do we motivate households to change their behavior? Though many ideas come to mind (e.g., education campaigns, waste taxes or waste reduction subsidies, changes in portion sizes or packaging), the answer to this question will likely depend on the household waste decision process, so it is imperative to understand this first before making policy recommendations.

Future articles on food waste will provide insight on some of my own research in this area, including preliminary results from an online survey where we attempt to learn more about the household waste decision process. Additionally, I will share information on my ongoing plate waste study in the University of Illinois dining halls.

References:

Affognon, Hippolyte, Christopher Mutungi, Pascal Sanginga, and Christian Borgemeister. 2015. “Unpacking Postharvest Losses in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Meta-Analysis.” World Development , 66:49-68.

Becker, Gary S. 1965. “A Theory on the Allocation of Time.” The Economic Journal , 75(299):493-517.

Buzby, Jean C., Hodan F. Wells, and Jeffrey Hyman. 2014. “The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of Postharvest Food Losses at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States.” USDA Economic Research Service, Washington, DC, USA.

Chrisafis, Angelique. 2016. “French Law Forbids Food Waste by Supermarkets.” The Guardian , Available at http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/20/486664266/walmart-world-s-largest-grocer-is-now-selling-ugly-fruit-and-veg .

Daniel, Caitlin. 2016. “Economic Constraints on Taste Formation and the True Cost of Healthy Eating.” Social Science & Medicine , 148:34-41.

Godoy, Maria. 2016. “Wal-Mart, America’s Largest Grocer, Is Now Selling Ugly Fruit and Vegetables.” NPR The Salt , Available at http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/20/486664266/walmart-world-s-largest-grocer-is-now-selling-ugly-fruit-and-veg .

Gustavsson, Jenny, Christel Cederberg, Ulf Sonesson, Robert van Otterdijk, and Alexandre Meybeck. 2011. “Global Food Losses and Food Waste: Extent, Causes and Prevention.” Food and Agricultural Organization, Rome, Italy.

Hodges, R. J., J. C. Buzby, and B. Bennett. 2011. “Postharvest Losses and Waste in Developed and Less Developed Countries: Opportunities to Improve Resource Use.” Journal of Agricultural Science , 149:37-45.

Hutcherson, Aaron. 2013. “Waste Not, Want Not: 6 Technologies to Reduce Food Waste.” Food+Tech Connect. Available at https://foodtechconnect.com/2013/10/02/waste-not-want-not-6-technologies-to-reduce-food-waste/ .

Qi, Danyi, and Brian E. Roe. 2016. “Household Food Waste: Multivariate Regression and Principal Components Analyses of Awareness and Attitudes among U.S. Consumers.” PLoS ONE , 11(7): e0159250.

food loss , food waste , SNAP

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Home > PITZER > PITZER_STUDENT > PITZER_THESES > 37

Pitzer Senior Theses

From farm to fork to landfill: food waste and consumption in america.

Mariel Nunley , Pitzer College Follow

Graduation Year

Spring 2013

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Environmental Analysis

Paul Faulstich

Susan Phillips

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© 2013 Mariel Nunley

This thesis focuses on the creation and disposal of food waste in the United States. Food waste is a specific yet highly critical issue that implicates the large, incongruous systems of both food production and waste disposal. Waste is created throughout the food supply chain, with producers as well as consumers guilty of throwing away good food. Rather than repurpose food as compost or donate it to those in need, wasted food, although completely biodegradable and often edible, is mixed in with the rest of our garbage and disposed of in a landfill. By evaluating the systems of waste disposal and food production, I illustrate the ways in which both of these industries encourage the creation of food waste and conceal its harmful effects. I argue that it is necessary to prioritize source reduction of wasted food, rather than rely upon infrastructure that keeps waste “out of sight, out of mind.” Despite the factors that shelter it from our critical consideration, it has become necessary to prioritize food waste as a legitimate environmental, social, and economic concern.

Recommended Citation

Nunley, Mariel, "From Farm to Fork to Landfill: Food Waste and Consumption in America" (2013). Pitzer Senior Theses . 37. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/pitzer_theses/37

Since May 03, 2013

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Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Environment Problems — Food Waste

Essays on Food Waste

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The Current Problem of Food Waste

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Potential Methods for Reducing Food Waste

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Food “waste” refers to food that is fit for consumption but consciously discarded at the retail or consumption phases.

The causes of food waste are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption.

Food loss and waste is a major part of the impact of agriculture on climate change (it amounts to 3.3 billion tons of CO2e emissions annually) and other environmental issues, such as land use, water use and loss of biodiversity.

Prevention of food waste, reuse, animal feed, and recycling of nutrients.

One third of all food produced is lost or wasted – around 1.3 billion tonnes of food. Up to 10% of global greenhouse gases comes from food that is produced, but not eaten. Wasting food is worse than total emissions from flying (1.9%), plastic production (3.8%) and oil extraction (3.8%). Almost half of all fruit and vegetables produced are wasted.

Relevant topics

• Global Warming
• Climate Change
• Invasive Species
• Environmental Issues
• Natural Disasters
• Air Pollution
• Deforestation
• Ocean Pollution
• Solar Energy

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A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level (2020)

Chapter: summary.

Approximately 30 percent of the edible food produced in the United States is wasted and a significant portion of this waste occurs at the consumer level. Despite food’s essential role as a source of nutrients and energy and its emotional and cultural importance, U.S. consumers waste an estimated average of 1 pound of food per person per day at home and in places where they buy and consume food away from home. Many factors contribute to this waste—consumers behaviors are shaped not only by individual and interpersonal factors but also by influences within the food system, such as policies, food marketing, and the media. Some food waste is unavoidable, and there is substantial variation in how food waste and its impacts are defined and measured. But there is no doubt that the consequences of food waste are severe: the wasting of food is costly to consumers, depletes natural resources, and degrades the environment. In addition, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has severely strained the U.S. economy and sharply increased food insecurity, it is predicted that food waste will worsen in the short term because of both supply chain disruptions and the closures of food businesses, which affect the way people eat and the types of food they can afford.

Many factors influence food waste in the United States. Researchers, nongovernmental organizations, federal agencies, and others have focused on reducing food waste, yet relatively little attention and coordination have focused on supporting the consumer in reducing food waste. To build on what has been learned, the Walmart Foundation and the Foundation for

Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) 1 provided funding to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a consensus study of ways to reduce U.S. food waste at the consumer level.

To carry out this study, the National Academies convened the Committee on a Systems Approach to Reducing Consumer Food Waste, whose members brought expertise in food waste, psychology and marketing, sociology, public health, nutrition, behavioral economics, food systems, urban planning, intervention design, and implementation science. The committee was charged with reviewing pertinent research from the social and behavioral sciences; identifying strategies for changing consumer behavior, taking into account interactions and feedbacks within the food system; and developing a strategy for addressing the challenge of reducing food waste at the consumer level from a holistic, systems perspective.

The committee explored the reasons food is wasted in the United States, including the characteristics of the complex systems through which food is produced, marketed, and sold, as well as the many other interconnected influences on consumers’ conscious and unconscious choices about purchasing, preparing, consuming, storing, and discarding food. Based on its review of evidence about what drives consumer behaviors and the efficacy of interventions designed to alter those behaviors, the committee identified a strategy for reducing food waste at the consumer level, as well as the research needed to support this strategy and future progress. The dramatic effects of COVID-19 on food supply chain operations and consumers’ behaviors may exacerbate many problems associated with food waste, and also present new opportunities; the strategy presented here is broad and adaptable to changing circumstances.

FOUNDATION FOR THE STRATEGY

The body of research that specifically addresses consumer food waste is limited and emerging, so the committee also considered evidence from the study of consumer behavior and ways to shape it in six related domains (energy saving, recycling, water use conservation, waste prevention, diet change, and weight management). This work draws on diverse disciplines (e.g. food science and nutrition, public health, behavioral economics, marketing, sociology, social psychology), and researchers have proposed models and frameworks to explain consumer behavior, some of which have been applied to the study of food waste. The committee identified one of these, the motivation-opportunity-ability (MOA ) framework, as especially useful

___________________

1 The Walmart Foundation and FFAR made a presentation to the committee at its first meeting about the study charge and their perspectives on the need for the study. They had no other discussions with the committee throughout the study process.

for identifying and analyzing individual behavioral drivers while also taking into account the importance of context 2 and habit in driving behavior.

The MOA framework posits that consumers are most likely to act in a particular way when they not only are motivated to do so but also have the ability and opportunity to act on that motivation. This framework proved useful to the committee in understanding how interactions among multiple drivers—including not only individual-level factors but also the actions of others, such as retailers, other food providers, and policy makers—affect how consumers acquire, consume, store, and dispose of food. The framework was also useful for integrating current knowledge about drivers with insights from the research on interventions.

Drivers of Consumer Behavior

Research on specific drivers of food waste at the consumer level is still emerging, but, particularly when considered in light of lessons from research in other domains, it offers some promising insights. Consumer behaviors regarding food acquisition, consumption, storage, and disposal are complex; depend on context; and are driven by multiple individual, sociocultural, and material factors within and outside the food system that interact to produce food waste. Thus, reducing wasted food at the consumer level will require strategies that consider the interactions between consumers’ motivation to change behaviors and their ability and opportunity to change them through both reflective and automatic processes. Although the available evidence base does not yet support prioritization of particular targets for reducing food waste at the consumer level, it does indicate that the 11 categories of drivers listed in Box S-1 show promise as the basis for interventions.

Interventions to Alter Consumer Behavior

Interventions that address the wasting of food at the consumer level have been studied, but the research on these efforts is still relatively new and focuses primarily on increasing motivation rather than increasing ability or opportunity. Research to date does not yet provide the highest level of support for widespread adoption of specific interventions in multiple contexts. Nevertheless, the committee found evidence suggesting that that the approaches listed in Table S-1 are promising and merit further investigation. The committee urges caution in extrapolating to generalized statements about these interventions, both because the efficacy and effectiveness of any intervention will depend on it being well designed, tailored to the context, and well implemented, and because of the importance of considering the elements of the MOA framework.

2 Context refers to the circumstances, conditions, or objects by which one is surrounded.

TABLE S-1 Types of Interventions and Examples with Evidence (Tier 1 Studies) and Suggestive Evidence (Tier 2 Studies) of Efficacy in Reducing Food Waste a , b

a Tier 1 studies met criteria: an intervention was implemented, wasted food was measured, causal effect can be attributed, and statistical analysis was adequate. Tier 2 studies failed to meet at least one of those criteria.

b The committee urges caution in extrapolating the information in this table to generalized statements about the efficacy and effectiveness of these interventions, which will depend on many other factors.

Although the research does not point directly to interventions that can be implemented with confidence across contexts and populations, it does offer important lessons that can be used in the tailoring of interventions to particular needs. For example, consideration of how a particular driver (e.g., psychological distancing) is likely to influence food waste (e.g., by affecting motivation) and the cognitive processes it activates (e.g., reflective or automatic processing) offers clues about other drivers that may also be at work in a given context and, therefore, where to focus intervention efforts. It is also essential to integrate plans for implementation and evaluation into the process of designing an intervention.

Research from the six related domains offers additional insights that have not yet been assessed in the context of reducing consumer food waste but are likely to be useful to designers of food waste reduction interventions:

• Multifaceted interventions that take advantage of more than one mechanism may be more effective than a single intervention alone.
• Characteristics of the context in which a behavior is occurring influence, and may override, other drivers.
• It is critical to understand the cognitive processes, which fall on a continuum ranging from reflective to semireflective to automatic, involved in the behaviors an intervention is intended to modify. Identifying and understanding habitual behaviors is also critical to designing any intervention.

A STRATEGY FOR REDUCING FOOD WASTE AT THE CONSUMER LEVEL

The strategy the committee proposes builds on the efforts of the many stakeholders that are already engaged in efforts to reduce consumer food waste. The strategy identifies three primary pathways to changing consumer behavior and includes recommendations about the responsibilities of the various partners whose participation will be necessary to this coordinated effort to reduce food waste at the consumer level. The three pathways are

• changing the U.S. food environment to discourage waste by consumers;
• strengthening consumers’ motivation, opportunity, and ability to reduce food waste; and
• leveraging and applying research findings and technology to support consumers in food waste reduction.

Pathway 1: Change the U.S. Food Environment to Discourage Waste by Consumers

Implement change and innovation in the food industry.

RECOMMENDATION 1: Food trade associations and their joint alliances (e.g., the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, the National Restaurant Association, FMI-The Food Industry Association, the Consumers Brand Association, and smaller food trade associations) and nonprofit organizations should expand their efforts to reduce food waste by convening an ongoing public–private–academic forum with the goal of coordinating industry efforts. Specifically, this forum should

• assist association members in pursuing evidence-based best practices and interventions to reduce food waste at the consumer level, providing regularly updated written guidance and consultation services;
• encourage association members to evaluate their food waste reduction efforts and publish their findings, and provide tools and assistance for these purposes;
• develop materials to inform members about the impacts of food waste and to characterize the business case, in terms of costs and benefits, of food waste reduction practices;
• support and participate in relevant research;
• create communities of practice in which members can share innovations and lessons learned; and
• work with third-party certifying organizations to include practices that reduce food waste at the consumer level as criteria in their environmental standards, and to encourage members to meet those standards.

RECOMMENDATION 2: With guidance from their food trade associations, manufacturers, retailers, and food service venues should

• develop promotions and other in-store cues that prioritize acquisition of the optimal amount and variety (including frozen, shelf-stable, and perishable) of products rather than prompting overacquisition; and
• implement and evaluate evidence-based strategies that help reduce consumer food waste by combining elements—including presentation of food (amount and variety) to reduce overacquisition and communications targeting consumers—that increase consumers’ motivation, opportunity, and ability to alter wasteful behaviors.

Include food waste reduction in industry certification.

RECOMMENDATION 3: The International Organization for Standardization, the Green Restaurant Association, the U.S. Green Building Council, and other organizations in charge of developing environmental standards for businesses should include practices that reduce food waste at the consumer level as criteria in those standards, and encourage food businesses to modify their practices to meet those criteria.

Develop and harmonize sensible date labeling.

RECOMMENDATION 4: Food industry trade associations, consumer organizations, and other nonprofit organizations should coordinate and advocate for the passage of federal legislation to harmonize the language and standards for use of date labels for packaged food sold in the United States. They should also coordinate efforts to educate the public about the information provided on date labels and how they can use that information to ensure that they neither consume unsafe food nor waste safe food.

Implement state and local policies encouraging behaviors that prevent food waste.

RECOMMENDATION 5: State and local governments should institute policies that reduce the discarding of wasted food. Such policies include (but are not limited to) fees for the removal of municipal solid waste per unit of waste and mandatory organic recycling practices, such as composting. These policies should be integrated with related policies (e.g., on recycling, food recovery), such as those to reduce environmental impact or promote equity-related outcomes.

RECOMMENDATION 6: The Environmental Protection Agency and nongovernmental entities, such as foundations, should support local jurisdictions and states in developing and instituting policies that discourage the discarding of edible food. Actions to this end include providing research, tools, and information and investing in partnerships and forums (e.g., social innovation labs) that bring key stakeholders together to develop feasible interventions that are acceptable to the affected communities.

Pathway 2: Strengthen Consumers’ Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability to Reduce Food Waste

Conduct a national behavior change campaign.

RECOMMENDATION 7: As part of the federal Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration should lead the development of a centralized platform for a behavior change campaign. This campaign should be designed both to inform the public about the environmental, economic, and social benefits of reducing food waste and tools and strategies for reducing their own waste, and to address nonconscious drivers of food waste, as well as consumers’ ability and opportunity to change wasteful behavior. This platform should be designed to stimulate, guide, and support current efforts at the state and local levels and those led by nongovernmental entities. The platform should incorporate the following elements

• provide resources and easy, everyday tips for reducing food waste;
• make use of a variety of traditional (e.g., books, website, apps) and new (e.g., short media content bursts, short sound bites, multimedia, gamification, refrigerator magnets) tools and tactics;
• use positive messaging;
• provide multiple cues at the food acquisition, consumption, and disposal stages;
• focus on reaching consumers during “teachable moments”;
• use social science research, particularly as related to norms and consumers’ psychological distance from food and food production;
• deliver short, intense, and frequent action ideas and nudges;
• include components and mechanisms that are culturally relevant to various settings and populations, such as food service employees, retail food establishments, students, workplaces, grocery shoppers, and general consumers;
• include provisions for rigorous evaluation of effectiveness and reward for behavior change;
• urge stakeholders to alter social and economic contexts to provide opportunities for behavior change; and
• spur influencers to help alter norms and amplify messages.

Spread and amplify messages about food waste through influencers.

RECOMMENDATION 8: Professional (e.g., the Culinary Institute of America, the Institute of Food Technologists, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) and community organizations should work with their memberships and with influencers, such as dietitians, state extension specialists, recipe providers, cooking show hosts, chefs, and social media personalities, to promote the use of their platforms to advance consistent food literacy information, provide evidence-based guidance about optimizing the consumption of food and minimizing waste, and help shift social norms by providing information about the positive effects of supporting consumers in reducing waste.

Include instruction and experiential learning about food literacy in education curricula.

RECOMMENDATION 9 : Nongovernment organizations (e.g., the World Wildlife Fund) should engage with other appropriate entities (e.g., state departments of education, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, foundations) in concerted, coordinated efforts to provide K–12, postsecondary, and secondary institutions with appropriate tools and resources and promote their use in instruction and hands-on learning about the social, environmental, and economic impacts of food waste and ways to reduce it.

Pathway 3: Leverage and Apply Research Findings and Technology to Support Consumers in Food Waste Reduction

Support research and technology.

RECOMMENDATION 10: 3 Government agencies at all levels and relevant foundations concerned with the problem of food waste should support the proposed food waste reduction strategy by investing in

• research to develop methods for measuring food waste at the consumer level, including the collection of data on food waste, both aggregated and by type of food, and reasons for wasting food in the United States, as part of an overall effort to measure food waste at the national level;
• research and pilot studies that are adequately designed to evaluate interventions for reducing consumer-level food waste and both the intended and unintended outcomes of those interventions, and are integrated with implementation plans;
• training in intervention evaluation and implementation planning for appropriate staff of community-based organizations and graduate students through, for example, an evaluation institute; and
• dissemination of information about the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions, including detailed descriptions of the intervention design and implementation.

Coordination and Partnership in Pursuit of the Three Pathways

The overarching goal of the committee’s proposed strategy is to create and sustain a broad societal commitment to reducing food waste. Leadership and financial support from the federal level will be necessary to stimulate and coordinate the efforts of the multiple stakeholders involved and to support the transition from a society in which attitudes and habits facilitate the wasting of food to one in which the consumption and management of food consistently reflect its value and importance. The improved coordination and cross-sectoral discussions fostered by the new initiative could have multiplier effects and advance solutions and innovations rapidly.

3 This text was revised for clarification since the prepublication release: “food waste reduction initiative” has been changed to “proposed food waste reduction strategy” to refer to the broad, national food waste reduction strategy recommended by the committee, so as not to be confused with the Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative. The Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative is an existing collaboration of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is referenced directly in Recommendation 11.

RECOMMENDATION 11: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration should expand the Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative by coordinating with key stakeholders at multiple levels and across societal sectors, including state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, foundations, industry leaders, food producers, and others, in efforts to reduce food waste at the consumer level. The federally sponsored initiative should

• be the locus of practical information for the consumer and guidance on the evaluation and implementation of interventions to be disseminated by initiative partners;
• support the development and management of a public clearinghouse for sharing information on current research and evaluation data and on funding opportunities relevant to researchers, funders, policy makers, social marketers, and other stakeholders;
• support research-based interventions that take into account consumers’ motivation, opportunity, and ability to reduce food waste and apply lessons from behavioral change disciplines; and
• work with others in resolving technical challenges, including by developing and publishing standard terminology for research and practice related to food waste.

Table S-2 provides an overview of the potential contributions that stakeholders would make to the committee’s proposed coordinated food waste reduction strategy.

TABLE S-2 Potential Contributions of Partners in the Committee’s Strategy

Effective implementation of research-based interventions is an ongoing process that requires evaluation, adaptation to local conditions, and often design modification. The government partners and others who contribute funding for elements of the proposed food waste reduction strategy can ensure that systematic evaluation is built into the effort.

RECOMMENDATION 12: Government agencies and others who fund interventions pursued as part of the proposed strategy to reduce food waste at the consumer level, as well as developers of state and local policies and regulations, should require that the effects of an intervention, policy, or regulation on reducing food waste and increasing consumer capacity to reduce food waste, as well as on other elements of the food system and issues beyond food waste, be evaluated. The results of this evaluation should be peer-reviewed and made available to researchers and the public.

RESEARCH TO SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION

To sustain the strategy proposed by the committee, ongoing work will be needed to address significant gaps in the knowledge base related to two distinct but interconnected areas: (1) understanding drivers of consumer behavior and best practices for interventions to change that behavior, and (2) understanding how promising interventions can be implemented effectively.

Understanding Drivers of Consumer Behavior and Interventions to Change that Behavior

With respect to the drivers of consumer behaviors related to food waste, the committee highlights the need to expand understanding of consumers and the context for the distribution of food in the United States. Research targets in this area include

• consumer segmentation regarding food waste behaviors and attitudes so that interventions can be targeted;
• assessment of the benefits of reducing food waste for the different sectors of the food industry so those benefits can be communicated to industry leaders and relevant staff;
• identification of gaps in food literacy by population groups and settings so communication and education approaches related to food waste can be tailored and designed to be more effective; and
• understanding of the rapidly changing food industry, particularly supply chain disruptions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and how the pandemic is affecting food-related behaviors and other outcomes.

It will also be valuable to expand the focus of research beyond the individual consumer. The literature has not yet fully explored drivers of behavior that operate across contexts outside the household, for example, or how behaviors and attitudes related to food waste translate across contexts such as home, restaurants, and work. The committee also believes that more studies of causal, correlational, and intervening drivers and their interplay are needed.

With respect to interventions, the committee noted multiple examples of interventions with promising results that can be further tested across contexts and scales, with rigorous methods, to identify best practices. Future progress in this research area can be supported by

• more long-term follow-up studies;
• studies that include appropriate control groups and other design elements that support robust causal inferences and measurement of waste, rather than intentions to reduce waste;
• integration of the development of intervention and implementation strategies;
• further modeling research, other systems-oriented studies including methods for understanding multifaceted interventions, and qualitative studies; and
• expansion of the research base to encompass diverse population groups, particularly low-income communities, and diverse contexts and different scales.

Understanding How Promising Interventions Can Be Implemented Effectively

Implementation of interventions identified as promising requires careful attention not only to unexpected outcomes but also to such factors as feasibility, capacity, fidelity to the intervention design, cost, and appropriateness to the settings in which the intervention will be implemented. Many of the food waste interventions that have been studied have demonstrated efficacy in experimental settings. However, few of these promising interventions have been evaluated systematically for effectiveness in real-world and large-scale applications. Interventions that demonstrate high levels of efficacy and effectiveness are needed to significantly reduce consumer food waste. Translational research is needed to apply frameworks, methods, and existing evidence from implementation research to food waste initiatives. Research that integrates intervention development with implementation research is needed to identify and refine the most promising approaches so they can be put into practice at broad enough scale to have meaningful effects.

Approximately 30 percent of the edible food produced in the United States is wasted and a significant portion of this waste occurs at the consumer level. Despite food's essential role as a source of nutrients and energy and its emotional and cultural importance, U.S. consumers waste an estimated average of 1 pound of food per person per day at home and in places where they buy and consume food away from home. Many factors contribute to this waste—consumers behaviors are shaped not only by individual and interpersonal factors but also by influences within the food system, such as policies, food marketing and the media. Some food waste is unavoidable, and there is substantial variation in how food waste and its impacts are defined and measured. But there is no doubt that the consequences of food waste are severe: the wasting of food is costly to consumers, depletes natural resources, and degrades the environment. In addition, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has severely strained the U.S. economy and sharply increased food insecurity, it is predicted that food waste will worsen in the short term because of both supply chain disruptions and the closures of food businesses that affect the way people eat and the types of food they can afford.

A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level identifies strategies for changing consumer behavior, considering interactions and feedbacks within the food system. It explores the reasons food is wasted in the United States, including the characteristics of the complex systems through which food is produced, marketed, and sold, as well as the many other interconnected influences on consumers' conscious and unconscious choices about purchasing, preparing, consuming, storing, and discarding food. This report presents a strategy for addressing the challenge of reducing food waste at the consumer level from a holistic, systems perspective.

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Food Waste - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Food Waste refers to the discarding or loss of food that could have been consumed. Essays might delve into the reasons for food waste, its environmental, economic, and social implications, and potential solutions to reduce it. This topic can also touch on the contrast between food wastage and global hunger issues. A substantial compilation of free essay instances related to Food Waste you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Food Waste Causes and Effects

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The global food crisis is currently affecting more than one-sixth of the world's population. The number of people suffering from starvation and undernourishment is increasing at an alarming rate and will continue to increase if a solution is not found soon. The food scarcity being experienced throughout the world is caused by many factors including urbanization, climate change, population increase, and much more. One of the biggest factors playing a part in the global food crisis is food waste. Approximately […]

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Food Waste Affects Everyone

Once something is thrown away, the majority of people stop thinking about it and aren't interested in what happened to the people that don't have food. Food is a prevalent waste item in the United States. When people become full or do not fully enjoy something they start with a new plate of food. Few people stop and think about the resources it took to produce, transport, and prepare the food that is being thrown away casually. Food waste is […]

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations or FAO (2017), defines food waste and food losses as ""the decrease of food in subsequent stages of the food supply chain intended for human consumption"". In other words, this means in the supply chain, from the moment food is planted and harvested to the moment humans buy it and consume it, the amount of produce there was in the beginning has significantly dropped because it gets lost on the way […]

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Grocery Store Food Waste

Over 30 percent of food in America is wasted due to grocery stores, producers, and even customers. Thirty percent of food is about $162 billion dollars being wasted on food which isn't even consumed. A major cause of food waste is a customer's view on how aesthetic the product is. We are the problem, consumers are expecting perfect produce, which causes a huge effect on the market, and grocery stores wasting perfectly healthy produce. If you go to a local […]

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Food Waste: Starbucks Coffee Company

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Reducing food Waste by 20% in a year through Changing Food Practices and Behavior amongst Young Adults (18-24 years old) in New South Wales. Food waste is a growing national problem in Australia. It accounts to a billion worth of food waste each year. It is wasted through production, retail, and consumer wastes. Food insecurity and obesity cohabit in this problem. Food insecurity exists when there is limited or uncertain access to nutritious and safe food. Obesity in this context […]

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How to write a thesis statement + examples

What is a thesis statement?

Is a thesis statement a question, how do you write a good thesis statement, how do i know if my thesis statement is good, examples of thesis statements, helpful resources on how to write a thesis statement, frequently asked questions about writing a thesis statement, related articles.

A thesis statement is the main argument of your paper or thesis.

The thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any piece of academic writing . It is a brief statement of your paper’s main argument. Essentially, you are stating what you will be writing about.

You can see your thesis statement as an answer to a question. While it also contains the question, it should really give an answer to the question with new information and not just restate or reiterate it.

Your thesis statement is part of your introduction. Learn more about how to write a good thesis introduction in our introduction guide .

A thesis statement is not a question. A statement must be arguable and provable through evidence and analysis. While your thesis might stem from a research question, it should be in the form of a statement.

Tip: A thesis statement is typically 1-2 sentences. For a longer project like a thesis, the statement may be several sentences or a paragraph.

A good thesis statement needs to do the following:

• Condense the main idea of your thesis into one or two sentences.
• Answer your project’s main research question.
• Clearly state your position in relation to the topic .
• Make an argument that requires support or evidence.

Once you have written down a thesis statement, check if it fulfills the following criteria:

• Your statement needs to be provable by evidence. As an argument, a thesis statement needs to be debatable.
• Your statement needs to be precise. Do not give away too much information in the thesis statement and do not load it with unnecessary information.
• Your statement cannot say that one solution is simply right or simply wrong as a matter of fact. You should draw upon verified facts to persuade the reader of your solution, but you cannot just declare something as right or wrong.

As previously mentioned, your thesis statement should answer a question.

If the question is:

What do you think the City of New York should do to reduce traffic congestion?

A good thesis statement restates the question and answers it:

In this paper, I will argue that the City of New York should focus on providing exclusive lanes for public transport and adaptive traffic signals to reduce traffic congestion by the year 2035.

Here is another example. If the question is:

How can we end poverty?

A good thesis statement should give more than one solution to the problem in question:

In this paper, I will argue that introducing universal basic income can help reduce poverty and positively impact the way we work.

• The Writing Center of the University of North Carolina has a list of questions to ask to see if your thesis is strong .

A thesis statement is part of the introduction of your paper. It is usually found in the first or second paragraph to let the reader know your research purpose from the beginning.

In general, a thesis statement should have one or two sentences. But the length really depends on the overall length of your project. Take a look at our guide about the length of thesis statements for more insight on this topic.

Here is a list of Thesis Statement Examples that will help you understand better how to write them.

Every good essay should include a thesis statement as part of its introduction, no matter the academic level. Of course, if you are a high school student you are not expected to have the same type of thesis as a PhD student.

Here is a great YouTube tutorial showing How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements .

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How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

What’s Covered:

What is the purpose of a thesis statement, writing a good thesis statement: 4 steps, common pitfalls to avoid, where to get your essay edited for free.

When you set out to write an essay, there has to be some kind of point to it, right? Otherwise, your essay would just be a big jumble of word salad that makes absolutely no sense. An essay needs a central point that ties into everything else. That main point is called a thesis statement, and it’s the core of any essay or research paper.

You may hear about Master degree candidates writing a thesis, and that is an entire paper–not to be confused with the thesis statement, which is typically one sentence that contains your paper’s focus. 

Read on to learn more about thesis statements and how to write them. We’ve also included some solid examples for you to reference.

Typically the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, the thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your essay. When your reader gets to the thesis statement, they should have a clear outline of your main point, as well as the information you’ll be presenting in order to either prove or support your point. 

The thesis statement should not be confused for a topic sentence , which is the first sentence of every paragraph in your essay. If you need help writing topic sentences, numerous resources are available. Topic sentences should go along with your thesis statement, though.

Since the thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay or paper, it’s imperative that you get this part right. Otherwise, your paper will not have a good flow and will seem disjointed. That’s why it’s vital not to rush through developing one. It’s a methodical process with steps that you need to follow in order to create the best thesis statement possible.

Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

When you’re assigned an essay, there are several different types you may get. Argumentative essays are designed to get the reader to agree with you on a topic. Informative or expository essays present information to the reader. Analytical essays offer up a point and then expand on it by analyzing relevant information. Thesis statements can look and sound different based on the type of paper you’re writing. For example:

• Argumentative: The United States needs a viable third political party to decrease bipartisanship, increase options, and help reduce corruption in government.
• Informative: The Libertarian party has thrown off elections before by gaining enough support in states to get on the ballot and by taking away crucial votes from candidates.
• Analytical: An analysis of past presidential elections shows that while third party votes may have been the minority, they did affect the outcome of the elections in 2020, 2016, and beyond.

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Once you know what type of paper you’re writing, you then need to figure out the point you want to make with your thesis statement, and subsequently, your paper. In other words, you need to decide to answer a question about something, such as:

• What impact did reality TV have on American society?
• How has the musical Hamilton affected perception of American history?
• Why do I want to major in [chosen major here]?

If you have an argumentative essay, then you will be writing about an opinion. To make it easier, you may want to choose an opinion that you feel passionate about so that you’re writing about something that interests you. For example, if you have an interest in preserving the environment, you may want to choose a topic that relates to that. 

If you’re writing your college essay and they ask why you want to attend that school, you may want to have a main point and back it up with information, something along the lines of:

“Attending Harvard University would benefit me both academically and professionally, as it would give me a strong knowledge base upon which to build my career, develop my network, and hopefully give me an advantage in my chosen field.”

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Once you have the point you want to make, you need to figure out how you plan to back it up throughout the rest of your essay. Without this information, it will be hard to either prove or argue the main point of your thesis statement. If you decide to write about the Hamilton example, you may decide to address any falsehoods that the writer put into the musical, such as:

“The musical Hamilton, while accurate in many ways, leaves out key parts of American history, presents a nationalist view of founding fathers, and downplays the racism of the times.”

Once you’ve written your initial working thesis statement, you’ll then need to get information to back that up. For example, the musical completely leaves out Benjamin Franklin, portrays the founding fathers in a nationalist way that is too complimentary, and shows Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist despite the fact that his family likely did own slaves. 

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and that you feel like you can truly write a paper on the topic. Once you’ve done that, you can then begin writing your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, there are some common pitfalls you should avoid so that your paper can be as solid as possible. Make sure you always edit the thesis statement before you do anything else. You also want to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Don’t make your reader hunt for your point. Finally, put your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and have your introduction flow toward that statement. Your reader will expect to find your statement in its traditional spot.

If you’re having trouble getting started, or need some guidance on your essay, there are tools available that can help you. CollegeVine offers a free peer essay review tool where one of your peers can read through your essay and provide you with valuable feedback. Getting essay feedback from a peer can help you wow your instructor or college admissions officer with an impactful essay that effectively illustrates your point.

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• Knowledge Base
• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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See an example

The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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