Reducing Food Waste Through Education and Community Collaboration

Food waste is a growing public health, environmental, and economic issue affecting communities across the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), approximately 30–40% of the food supply in the United States goes uneaten each year, resulting in significant food waste and loss.¹ This represents a loss of valuable resources and contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions from landfills.² Traditional views of food waste have centered on what is left behind after consumption or the disposal of unused food items.³ Food waste is a much broader multi-dimensional subject, with commercial, societal and environmental impacts.³ Without significant innovations, food waste is set to become an increasingly pressing societal issue that questions the equitable distribution of what we eat, how and where it is produced, and why it occurs.³ Clemson University Cooperative Extension Services addresses this issue through innovative strategies to reduce food waste across South Carolina as a land-grant institution committed to research, education, and outreach.

The Problem with Food Waste

Food waste and food loss occur at every stage of the food system. Food waste refers to inedible portions of food, while food loss refers to food that is still suitable for human consumption but is discarded or spoiled.¹ In university settings, it often stems from overproduction, large portion sizes, and a lack of awareness about food conservation.⁴ Beyond the economic loss, discarded food in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.²

Recent studies show that college and university dining operations can generate between 0.12 and 50 kg of food waste per capita per day, depending on various factors, including institutional practices and student behavior.⁴ These numbers highlight the urgent need for comprehensive food waste reduction strategies.

At the individual consumer level, most experts stress that the lack of planning and management of purchase, storage, preparation and reuse of food and meals is the heart of the problem.⁵ Ascheman-Witzel classifies food products that are wasted at the consumer level even though they are edible as “suboptimal foods”.⁵ Suboptimal foods are defined as foods that consumers perceived as relatively undesirable as compared to other similar foods because they either: (1) are close to, at or beyond the best-before date or (2) deviate from what is depicted to be “normal”.⁵ This accounts for the most significant proportion of consumer-level food waste.⁵ An example of this would be throwing away food because it was not used in time. The European Union (EU) project, FUSIONS (which tracked food waste estimates), concluded that the three general consumer-related factors contributing to food waste are social factors, such as household type, family stage and related lifestyles; individual behaviors and perception of and expectations towards foods; and consumers’ lack of awareness, knowledge and skills.⁵ Additionally, emotional and cognitive factors, including attitudes and perceptions about food quality, further influence household food waste behaviors, particularly among younger populations.⁹

In the consumer-retailer interaction, producer or retailer choices for the packaging sizes and functions and the type and length of the date labelling displayed can be problematic. Terminology can also become an issue with food waste management. In the consumer-supply chain interaction, date labelling and its meaning are examples of this issue. Its terminology and applications vary widely, and this might contribute to consumers’ misunderstanding.

Solutions to Reduce Food Waste

Food waste reduction is often described as a “win-win” benefiting consumers, the environment, and a business’s bottom line. Key strategies to tackle food waste include sharing information and knowledge across stakeholders, broadening legislation, and improving packaging as part of the solution.⁶ To achieve meaningful progress in food waste and loss reduction, multi-stakeholder collaboration will be needed, especially through strong public-private partnerships at the global level.⁶

The food waste hierarchy further supports prioritizing prevention, followed by food recovery and recycling, as the most effective strategies for reducing overall waste.¹⁰

Innovative approaches are also emerging to address food waste. Technology-based solutions such as mobile apps for meal planning, food inventory tracking, and food rescue platforms help consumers and organizations reduce waste. Additionally, composting programs and smart packaging innovations are being used to extend shelf life and divert food from landfills.¹¹

Changing Consumer Behaviors

To reduce food waste at the consumer level, it is important to understand the factors that shape perception and behavior, both in households and at the point of purchase.⁵ Practical strategies include:

• Planning meals ahead of time to buy only what is needed.
• Checking the pantry and refrigerator before shopping to prevent duplicate purchases.
• Creating a grocery list and sticking to it to reduce impulse buying.
• Storing foods properly to help fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and leftovers stay fresh longer.
• Using leftovers creatively by incorporating them into soups, casseroles, wraps, or other meals.
• Freezing foods before they spoil when they will not be used right away.
• Using older foods first by moving items with shorter shelf lives to the front of the refrigerator or pantry.¹²

For example, in the Eat Smart Being Active (ESBA) Shop Lesson, participants practice comparing prices and planning balanced meals. While the activity emphasizes budgeting, it also teaches how careful planning prevents overspending and reduces the likelihood of purchasing food that may later be wasted.⁵

Understanding and Using Food Date Labels

Another important area for reducing food waste is clarifying the meaning of date labels on food products. A more standardized system would help reduce confusion. Many consumers mistakenly view all dates as “safety” indicators, when most refer to food quality.⁷

Here are the main types of food date labels:

• Sell By: Used by retailers to know how long to display a product for sale. It is not a safety date. Food may still be safe to eat after this date if stored properly.⁷
• Best If Used By/Before: Indicates when food is at peak flavor or quality, but not when it becomes unsafe.⁷
• Use By: The last date recommended for best quality. Except for infant formula, this is also about quality, not safety.⁷
• Freeze By: Suggests when to freeze a product to maintain best quality. Freezing extends shelf life and reduces waste.⁷

Educating consumers on these labels, such as explaining in classes that yogurt may still be safe after the “Sell By” date if refrigerated, or that chicken can be frozen before the “Freeze By” date to prevent spoilage, helps people make informed choices. This knowledge reduces the unnecessary discarding of safe food, saves money, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions associated with food waste.^{7, 8}

Engaging the Community

When considering various approaches to engage the community through local legislation, a multifaceted policy approach should target both commercial and residential behaviors.³ Commercial behaviors are a significant factor in the amount of food produced and distributed, and residential behaviors, as consumers’ choices, also play a role in food waste and loss. Consumer awareness about food waste is the first step to reducing it. In a community survey, several additional factors were identified that encouraged people to reduce their food waste, including attitudes, values, motivation, habits, perceived social norms, knowledge and skills related to behavior, and access to facilities and resources.³

Examples of community-level strategies include local composting programs, food recovery initiatives that redirect surplus food to food banks, and policies that encourage businesses to donate excess food. Some municipalities have implemented food waste diversion programs or partnerships with organizations that redistribute edible food, helping to reduce landfill waste while improving food access.¹¹

Food donation and redistribution programs should also consider how donated foods will be used once they reach households. Preselected food boxes may contain unfamiliar foods, ingredients that require preparation skills, or items that households do not have the equipment or storage capacity to use. Providing simple recipes, preparation guidance, and opportunities for choice can help families make better use of donated foods and reduce unnecessary waste. Pairing food assistance with practical nutrition and food-resource management education can further support households in planning, storing, preparing, and using the foods they receive.^3,11

As part of a land-grant university, Clemson Extension plays a critical role in sharing these practices with the broader public. County extension offices are incorporating food waste reduction lessons into youth and adult programs, including the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).⁸ In a study by Zahir Irani, planning and shopping routines were identified as the most significant factors contributing to the variance in the amount of food waste produced. While planning supported the reduction of food waste, shopping routines increased the levels of food waste.³ These findings reinforce the educational support that our programs addressing household food security and limiting food waste provide to the community. By offering behavior-changing lessons, this programming can impact how we plan, shop, and use our food resources. These efforts aim to build lifelong habits of mindful consumption and environmental stewardship.

Conclusion

This publication highlights how education, innovation, and collaboration can reduce food waste through Clemson Extension efforts. Reducing food waste is not only a sustainability issue but a public health imperative. Through practical strategies such as consumer education, improved food resource management, and community-based initiatives, we can build more resilient, equitable, and sustainable food systems for all.

References

1. Aschemann-Witzel, J., de Hooge, I., Amani, P., Bech-Larsen, T., & Oostindjer, M. (2015). Consumer-related food waste: Causes and potential for action. Sustainability, 7(6), 6457–6477. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7066457
2. Attiq, S., Chau, K. Y., Bashir, S., Habib, M. D., Azam, R. I., & Wong, W.-K. (2021). Sustainability of household food waste reduction: A fresh insight on youth’s emotional and cognitive behaviors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), Article 7013. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137013
3. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2019). The state of food and agriculture 2019: Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca6030en
4. Irani, Z., Sharif, A. M., Lee, H., Aktas, E., Topaloğlu, Z., van’t Wout, T., & Huda, S. (2018). Managing food security through food waste and loss: Small data to big data. Computers & Operations Research, 98, 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2017.10.007
5. Leal Filho, W., Ribeiro, P. C. C., Setti, A. F. F., Azam, F. M. S., Abubakar, I. R., Castillo-Apraiz, J., Tamayo, U., Özuyar, P. G., Frizzo, K., & Borsari, B. (2024). Toward food waste reduction at universities. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26, 16585–16606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03300-2
6. Papargyropoulou, E., Lozano, R., Steinberger, J. K., Wright, N., & Ujang, Z. B. (2014). The food waste hierarchy as a framework for the management of food surplus and food waste. Journal of Cleaner Production, 76, 106–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.04.020
7. U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2023). Food loss and waste. https://www.usda.gov/about-food/food-safety/food-loss-and-waste
8. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (2019, August). Food product dating. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating
9. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture. (n.d.). Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/programs/capacity-grants/expanded-food-nutrition-education-program-efnep
10. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2024, June). National strategy for reducing food loss and waste and recycling organics. https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/NATIONAL-STRATEGY-FOR-REDUCING-FOOD-LOSS-AND-WASTE-AND-RECYCLING-ORGANICS.pdf
11. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2024, September 20). Basic information about landfill gas. https://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-gas
12. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2026). Preventing wasted food at home. https://www.epa.gov/recycle/preventing-wasted-food-home