A Policy Win-Win? Three Opportunities to Address High Food Prices and Reduce Waste

More than 85% of American consumers express frustration (opens in a new tab) with rising grocery prices, which have increased 28% since 2019 (opens in a new tab) and are not expected to go down. Consumers report (opens in a new tab) adjusting shopping behaviors that include stocking up during sales, purchasing fewer items, and switching to less expensive private label brands. One strategy they don’t list? Wasting less. ReFED estimates the average American spends $40-65 per month on food that goes uneaten. Policymakers are well positioned to help consumers save some of that food and, in turn, stretch their food budgets further.

Analysis has shown that rising prices had a major impact (opens in a new tab) on the outcome of the 2024 election. With new senators and representatives beginning their terms—and the presidential inauguration set for next week—policymakers should be seeking opportunities for quick wins that voters will appreciate. Supporting policies that reduce food waste presents a nonpartisan opportunity to help consumers navigate this new normal of high prices. After all, everyone agrees that we should not be throwing away good food, with 88% of Republicans, 87% of Democrats, and 81% of Independents (opens in a new tab) reporting that not throwing away food is important to them.

Three promising legislative opportunities include:

• Standardizing date labels (opens in a new tab): Voluntary initiatives in the U.S. have coalesced around two phrases—“BEST if Used By” as the term for date labels indicating food’s peak quality and “USE By” for labels intended to indicate safety. This standardization only works, however, if there is full adoption across the industry. To ensure that occurs, Congress (or state governments) could require standardization by limiting date labeling language on all products to these two phrases. This would help reduce consumer confusion and prevent disposal of food that is still perfectly good to eat.

• Fund or implement consumer education campaigns (opens in a new tab): Households are the biggest source of food waste in the U.S., yet American consumers perceive themselves as wasting little, with nearly three-quarters reporting (opens in a new tab) that they discard less food than the average American. Given this lack of awareness, education campaigns on food waste are critical. It’s exciting that the federal government took steps to initiate this in 2024, with the Environmental Protection Agency announcing grant funding (opens in a new tab) for a national consumer wasted food reduction campaign. We hope to see this plan move forward, and encourage local and state governments to amplify the campaign once it's implemented so consumers receive the same message from multiple channels.

• Fund spoilage-inhibiting technologies: Similar to the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) (opens in a new tab), there is a need for a funding mechanism that focuses exclusively on providing support for research and development of new technologies that demonstrate effectiveness in loss prevention of dairy, meat, poultry, and fish. Congress could create a program, possibly in the next Farm Bill, to establish funding. These technologies would help ensure that the food consumers are purchasing stays fresh and edible for as long as possible.

“With high food prices here to stay and frustration among consumers mounting, now is the perfect time to pursue legislative opportunities that help consumers maximize the value of the food they purchase by reducing waste,” shares ReFED President Dana Gunders. “The stage is being set—USDA and FDA have announced a request for information on food date labels, EPA has initiated millions of grant dollars toward a consumer education campaign, and the upcoming Farm Bill presents opportunities for new food waste reduction funding. The incoming administration and new Congress can continue to build on this momentum to drive real action that helps consumers’ bottom lines.”

You can find a full list of policy recommendations related to food waste on our website.