• References

The Trust Project

References This article includes a list of source material, including documents and people, so you can follow the story further.
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No.

Although a significant portion of food goes to waste in the U.S., the percentage is below 50%, according to food organizations.

Federal agencies estimate that between 30%-40% of food is wasted, making it the most common material in the country to be incinerated or dumped into landfills. Feeding America, a network of food banks, puts the wasted food figure at 38%.

Misunderstandings about expiration dates by both consumers and retailers contribute to food waste. Consumers throw out about 3 billion pounds of food each year as a result of date-label confusion. 

A product being past its “best if used by” or “sell-by” date doesn’t mean it’s spoiled. Unless spoilage is evident, “expired” food can still be safe to eat past its peak quality.

See full source list below.

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References:

United States 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, accessed November 2025. Source link

Fighting food waste and hunger through food rescue, Feeding America, accessed November 2025. Source link

Consumer Perceptions of Food Date Labels, ReFed, February 2025. Source link

Food Product Dating, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, accessed November 2025. Source link