The article reports that a new ReFED study found U.S. food waste declined in 2024 by about 2.2%, the first meaningful drop since the pandemic, totaling roughly 70 million tons (about 29% of the food supply). The reduction was driven largely by households, with consumers wasting less food despite buying similar amounts, likely due to high grocery prices and more careful meal planning. This shift may signal the U.S. has moved past “peak food waste,” with growing awareness, business investment, and policy support contributing to progress. However, the overall scale is still enormous, with most surplus food still ending up in landfills rather than being recovered or donated.

Critically, the improvement is modest and may be driven more by economic pressure than lasting behavioral change – people waste less when food is expensive, not necessarily because systems have improved. The decline is also small relative to the long-term goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030, suggesting progress is still far too slow. Structural issues, such as supply chain inefficiencies and low donation rates, remain largely unresolved. There’s also a risk that if food prices stabilize or fall, waste levels could rebound. Overall, it’s a positive signal, but not strong evidence of a sustained or systemic breakthrough.