Americans Spend Almost $1,500 A Year On Food That Ends Up In Trash

Audio By Carbonatix

Shopping for food seems to be getting more and more expensive these days, and what makes it even worse is there’s a good chance folks won’t even eat a lot of the stuff they buy at the market, leading to a lot of food waste.

A new survey reveals:

• The average American spends $1,493.93 a year on food they’ll never eat.
• That translates to about 18% of their groceries per shopping trip.
• 27% of folks say hey “always” or “often” buy food they don’t eat.
• Less than 10% say they “never” do.
• 46% say they usually buy and waste the same foods every month because they think they’ll finally eat them.
• The most commonly wasted food are:
• Fruits (53%)
• Vegetables (45%)
• Dairy products (39%)
• Grains (25%)
• Protein (20%)
• Snack foods (19%)

So, how do people try and stop themselves from wasting food?

• Well, 55% of those polled say shopping solo makes them more likely to stick to their shopping list, with 36% saying that means they are less likely to buy stuff they don’t need.
• 60% avoid going shopping hungry, because if they are they are more likely to buy stuff they don’t need.

Source: SWNS Digital

Thought Starters…

• Yeah, I need to stop buying that yogurt, I’m never gonna eat it..
• How much money would you say you spend on food you wind up wasting? What are the foods you typically wind up wasting?
• Have you figured out a way to stop wasting so much food? What are your tips?
• Do you think you buy a lot more food if you go shopping hungry? What's an example of something you picked up only because you shopped hungry?