SUPPLY CHAIN FOOD WASTAGES:AN UNDENIABLE CAUSE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

Did you know that the amount of food wasted in the USA each year has an approximate value of $218 billion? Owing to this, nearly 35 million people across the country suffer from food insecurity. But what is the root cause of this problem and how do the traditional economic models play an influential role in aggravating it? This article aims to delve deeper into this pressing issue, while discussing the potential solutions alongside.
Food loss and waste is defined as a decrease in the quantity or quality of edible food that is intended for human consumption. It occurs at every stage of the food supply chain, including agricultural production, processing and manufacturing, distribution and logistics, retail, and at the consumer level. For instance, according to an FAO study, losses at harvest and sorting dominate in industrialized regions, mostly due to discarding during grading to meet high-quality standards set by retailers. Furthermore, in the case of fruits and vegetables, inadequate transportation due to poor refrigeration and cooled storage, can result in rotting of them (modern fruit and vegetable supply chains are responsible for a staggering 42% of food waste globally.) At the retailers’ level, poor inventory management is a primary cause of food losses. This is due to the fact that managers inaccurately forecast demand, which results in overordering of goods. Consequently, the leftovers are tossed into the garbage as they perish quickly.
Finally at the consumers’ level, misinterpretation of “best-before” and “use-by” dates, leads to consumers discarding perfectly safe food items. According to a statistic, More than 80% of Americans discard perfectly edible goods.

Food loss and waste have significant negative impacts, which not only conflict with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (Target 12.3.1), but also jeopardize the future of the society.Wasting food has irreversible environmental consequences: the production, distribution, storage, preparation, and ultimate disposal of unsold or uneaten food amounts to 3.5% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions—the equivalent to driving 51 million gas-powered vehicles for a full year. The harmful emissions of methane, carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons exacerbate the problem of global warming, and also increase chances of humans getting affected by severe respiratory diseases, like asthma and bronchitis. The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes 11% of all chronic obstructive pulmonary disease deaths to long term ozone exposure. Moreover, when food goes to waste, so do all the resources required to produce it, including water, land, healthy soils and fertilizers. From an economic perspective, we must understand that these non-renewable resources cannot be reconstructed once they are depleted, so it is essential to utilize them in a judicious manner.
At the same time, food wastage results in shortage of food in the market, thereby pushing up its prices. In fact, the Bureau of Labour Statistics shared that in September 2025, the price of groceries was up by 29% since February,2020. As a result, the ability to access food for low-income consumers reduces, which increases both relative and absolute poverty. Think about it: your over-purchasing and throwing of food is resulting in malnutrition and deprivation among millions of your brothers and sisters globally! As quoted by Pope Francis, “Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of those who are poor and hungry.” Personally, it makes my heart sink, to imagine how miserly, malicious and malevolent, we humans can be!
If reducing food insecurity and saving the planet also don’t urge you to give a second thought, perhaps one more reason will: money. (thanks to the money-minded nature.) According to the nonprofit organization Feeding America, the average American family of four throws out $1600 a year in produce. Multiply that by the typical 18 years that a child lives at home and you could easily pay for a year’s worth of tuition at any number of America’s private colleges or universities!
Thus, it is evident that reducing food waste can contribute to economic growth and result in better living standards, as more needs and wants can be met from the scarce resources.In the supply chain, enhancing communication among stakeholders can improve transparency, reliability and efficiency because if suppliers share critical information with retailers, such as harvest dates, processing methods and storage temperatures, it reduces the chances of perishables getting rotted. Block-chaining is a process which uses digital ledgers, to keep a record of every transaction in the system. For food waste, this can be a godsend. The ledger can be programmed with information about a supplier’s product and its ideal storage conditions. More than that, it can track diseases in the produce, where they occurred, and offer instructions to prevent further contamination. To illustrate this, Walmart has partnered with IBM on using blockchain to enhance food safety, by requiring all suppliers of green vegetables to use it. And the result is, that the time taken to track the source of food has reduced from seven days to a little over two seconds!
Moreover, at the manufacturer and wholesaler level, AI- enhanced solutions can improve inventory management. For instance, RELEX uses machine learning to forecast demand accurately, balance inventory levels, and automate replenishment processes. Features like spoilage projections, adaptive safety stocks, and real-time visibility into inventory help stores reduce waste while ensuring shelves remain stocked with fresh products.
Next, it is vital that retailers make the most optimum use of surplus food- the excess edible food that goes unsold or unconsumed- rather than throwing it away. Nowadays, many companies are taking the initiative of using food waste as ingredients for other products, setting up food donation plans, or implementing commercial composting programs. Many businesses are also following the EPA’s Wasted Food Scale, which is a curved spectrum that ranks food management ways from most to least environmentally friendly, replacing the older pyramid-style Food Recovery Hierarchy. One example of this is the company Sodexo, which donates all of its uneaten food to local communities in need. Sodexo also became the U.S Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion.
Another example, which I really found to be an out-of-box innovation, is making fuel from food waste. So, in Sweden, biogas has been generated from food waste to power households and local buses. The process is as follows- basically, first food waste is separated from all other wastes, and then it is made into a slurry. Then, the slurry is taken to biogas plants, where it undergoes anaerobic digestion. The released methane is captured and compressed, which is used to power transport. Seriously, the extent to which human creativity can rise is indescribable!
At the consumer level, there are certain practices that we can follow to achieve sustainability of food resources. First, we should plan our meals and make grocery store shopping lists, to avoid impulsive buys. This actually kills two birds with one stone: it not only decreases chances of food waste; it also saves you money! Another point is that we must not judge food by its appearance. Oddly-shaped or bruised fruits and vegetables are often thrown away because they are not visually-appealing; although they are fit to consume. Furthermore, mature fruit can be used in smoothies, desserts and juices.
Personally, I am quite concerned about this global issue. So, I started to work on building a program called “EcoVatan.” (This is exactly my Green Action!) This is a software which will carry out automated inventory tracking for retailers, and it will flag the products, which are near their expiry date. Moreover, it will also apply a discount to these products, so the remaining inventory can be quickly sold off. Although several other players, like Relex are already well-established in the market, my application varies from them. This is because these players focus on backend forecasting with zero consumer engagement. However, through my app, a notification will be sent to the localized consumers (who previously bought products from store or show interest in purchasing the products) that will help them buy the same product at a reduced price. This not only saves money for them, but also earns them EcoPoints for contributing to sustainability. Moreover, if a store prevents a certain or more number of products from going to waste, they unlock a green badge. So, this will improve their brand image and help further attract environmentally conscious consumers. This idea is still under progress, but I have created a basic prototype.

To sum up, food wastage is a giant threat to nature and biodiversity of Earth. Although we won’t be able to surpass it in one day, little actions by each individual can contribute to the protection of our beloved Mother Earth. As said by Amitav Ghosh “The climate crisis is a crisis of culture, and thus of the imagination”, we must rethink our modern lifestyle choices, consumer desires and economic systems. Otherwise, the planet could face a sheer scarcity of food in the future, as the world’s population is predicted to reach 9.1 billion by 2050.

REFERENCES
Rts–Food Waste in America in 2026–www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/
WasteNot-www.wastenotaz.org/post/7-causes-of-food-waste
FAO-openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/36cb45bc-392c-41fb-97f1-90ca1f16ee7f/content
Delve-delve.mcgill.ca/read/supply-chain-food-waste-is-a-people-problem/
Deccan Herald- www.deccanherald.com/education/quote-of-the-day-by-amitav-ghosh-the-climate-crisis-is-a-crisis-of-culture-
FoodUnfolded- www.foodunfolded.com/article/fuel-made-from-food-waste
ReFed-refed.org/uploads/2026-food-waste-report-design-final-1.pdf?_cchid=e08349e40c3a9654dc7acf251463818e
Relex- www.relexsolutions.com/resources/grocery-store-food-waste/
Wasteless AI- www.foodlogistics.com/sustainability/waste-reduction/article/22918098/wasteless-ai-the-food-waste-problem-in-the-grocery-retail-industry
EPA- www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/prevent-wasted-food-through-source-reduction#scale

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