$640 Worth Of Food Is Thrown Away By Each American Household Per Year, Says Survey

A survey released by the American Chemistry Council on June 24 reveals that Americans throw away $640 worth of food each year.

The survey asked 1,000 adults how often they throw away food. Seventy-six percent of people said that they throw away leftovers at least once a month, and 53 percent said they throw away leftovers every week. Over half of the people surveyed said that they throw away food that they bought but did not cook or eat.

Even though all of this food is wasted, 70 percent of the survey participants said they are bothered by how much is thrown away, and for various reasons: 79 percent said it's a waste of money, 45 percent said others may not have enough to eat, and 15 percent said that it's bad for the environment.

The United States is addressing this problem in a number of ways. The Department of Agriculture has stated that many foods are still good past their expiration dates, and there's even a grocery store that sells expired foods.

The survey notes that food waste is the most prevalent item in our landfills and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.