The drivers of wasted food are often a complex combination of behavioral, economic, and systemic factors. Food is wasted for various reasons across the supply chain, ranging from individual household decisions to structural inefficiencies, including:

• Consumer Behavior and Psychology: Confusion over date labels, fear of health risks from potentially spoiled food, over-preparation of food to avoid insufficient servings for guests [1].
• Retail and Service Inefficiencies: In grocery stores, we are looking at inadequate demand forecasting, excess production, and aesthetic standards [2]. In schools, we are assessing plate waste and share table effectiveness [3].
• Systemic Failures: Factors such as product and packaging damage, improper handling temperatures, and a lack of coordination between different supply chain actors contribute to losses before food even reaches the consumer [4].
• Policy Gaps & Economic Incentives: Many jurisdictions find recycling (composting or anaerobic digestion) simpler and more cost-effective than donation, which requires significant labor and cold-chain infrastructure. Many policies also focus heavily on waste diversion (keeping food out of landfills) rather than prevention or recovery (feeding people) [5].
• Infrastructure: Infrastructure disparities, particularly in rural areas, make it difficult to move surplus food quickly to communities in need due to long transportation distances and limited staffing [6].
• Climate: Climate shocks like drought can impact yields, leading to farm-level losses [7].

Further Reading from our Researchers

1. Wilson, N. L. W., & Miao, R. (2025). Food waste, date labels, and risk preferences: An experimental exploration. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 47(3), 1029–1057. https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13507
2. Harper, K., Espat, S., Davis, L., Labruto, N., & Neff, R. A. (2025). Methods for using worker-centered research to improve food donation and reduce wasted food in a grocery retail setting. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1609717. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1609717
3. Adjapong, E. S., Bender, K. E., Schaefer, S., & Roe, B. E. (2024). School and meal characteristics associated with plate waste in K-12 cafeterias in the United States. PLOS ONE, 19(12), e0299043. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299043
4. Zhang, R., Arnav, A., Karakoc, D. B., & Konar, M. (2026). Compound shocks to agri-food supply chain transport and trade in the United States. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 9, 1661492. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1661492
5. Lamoureaux, Y., Corbett, C. J., Rodilitz, S., & Spang, E. S. (2025). Divert or donate? Early experiences with California’s attempt to reduce organic waste and food insecurity. Resources, Environment and Sustainability, 22, 100252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100252
6. Tibebu, T. B., Li, S., Torres Arroyo, M., Lessard, K., Bozeman Iii, J. F., Cai, Y., Gephart, J. A., Konar, M., Lee, Y.-J., Romeiko, X., Talley, J., & Siddiqui, S. (2025). Interactions and tradeoffs for sustainability, equity, and resilience in wasted food models. Environmental Research Communications, 7(4), 045013. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adc22f
7. Ruess, P. J., Hanley, J., & Konar, M. (2025). Drought Impacts to Water Footprints and Virtual Water Transfers of Counties of the United States. Water Resources Research, 61(6), e2024WR037715. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037715