Virginia ranks 7th in the nation in annual food waste losses

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – New data from Trace One, a produce lifestyle management company, shows Virginia ranks seventh in annual food waste cost losses per household.

Trace One’s data comes from a variety of national sources, including reFED.org’s Food Waste Monitor, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index.

These state-level statistics refer only to the private sector and do not include surplus food allocated to food service, agriculture, retail, or manufacturing.

“Food waste is a problem that affects all of us,” said Ibraheem Qureshi, a third-year student at the University of Virginia. “It’s not something that one person can solve alone. If we all take just a small step now, hopefully we can make a long-term, lasting change in the future.”

Qureshi is vice president of UVA’s Food Assistance Program.

“Food Assist is a local organization that does its best to ensure that food that could be wasted elsewhere can be donated to places where it is needed,” Qureshi said.

According to Trace One data, the average Virginia household loses more than $2,400 per household due to food waste.

This is an increase of almost 22% over the national average.

“Every time you buy something and don’t use it, you’re throwing money out the window, especially when the cost of products and other things is going up and those things are spoiling faster,” Qureshi said. “We’re seeing more and more waste from students and community members.”

People often think they are getting a bargain when they buy things in bulk at the supermarket.

UVA Associate Professor Sibylle Kranz says this is not always the case.

“There is a lot of research from a variety of sources that shows that a lot of the extra food that wasn’t originally used is actually wasted,” Kranz said. “When you buy it, it looks like it was a great savings and a good deal, but then if the food isn’t consumed, it’s a waste.”

Kranz says this is just the tip of the iceberg of the food waste problem and that the most important thing is to make households aware of the impact their food waste can have.

“I think people need to become aware of how much food waste puts a strain on their wallets, their financial means, but also on resources in general, because all of this food has to be produced somewhere,” said Kranz. “I think raising awareness would be a first step.”

Kranz says to keep in mind that this data is based on national averages.

In order to obtain more accurate information, the researchers would have to go to households and weigh the food waste themselves.

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