The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is committed to reducing wasted food – Oregon’s governor has committed the state to reduce food waste by 50 percent by 2030. The “Wasted Food Measurement Study” is one of several efforts DEQ has taken to address this issue.
The Oregon Wasted Food Study tracked wasted food in both urban and rural households—using quantitative and qualitative research methods—to increase our understanding of how much, what, and why food is discarded by Oregonians.
Key findings include:
Of all food waste thrown away by households, 71 percent could have been eaten (i.e., it was not bones, shells, peels, etc.)
On average, Oregon households throw away 6.3 pounds of food per week (or 2.3 pounds per capita).
Fruits and vegetables are the most commonly discarded food that could have been eaten.
There were no significant differences in the amounts of wasted food generated among demographic groups, such as household size or type, urban or rural, or income level.
The top three loss reasons for throwing away food were: 1) food is moldy or spoiled, 2) household members didn’t like or were tired of eating a food, and 3) food was not good as leftovers.
