Avery Dennison (a company that sells labeling and packaging supplies), working alongside the Centre for Economics and Business Research (a London-based research firm), released a study earlier this month that surveyed almost 3,500 food retail leaders across the globe. The cost of food waste this year is expected to reach $540 billion, with meat accounting for one-fifth of the waste. After meat, the top waste categories are fresh produce, ready-to-eat meals, dairy, and baked goods.

One of the largest drivers behind food waste is an inability to properly trace when and where it’s happening. 51% of participants pointed to “poor inventory management and overstocking” as the cause behind the waste, while 56% recognized the difficulty in tracking loss during transportation. Some solutions include increasing “product-level visibility” and open communication throughout the entire supply chain.

I’m not surprised that meat is the largest waste category because of the prevalence of foodborne illnesses and the bogus use-by dates. I was a little surprised to hear that 51% of leaders admitted to having poor inventory management. Shopping trends can be difficult to predict, though, which makes it tricky to balance between under- and overstocking.

Essiet, Daniel. “Food waste costs to hit $540b.” The Nation, 21 Jan. 2026. https://thenationonlineng.net/food-waste-costs-to-hit-540b/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.