(STACKER) — Americans waste about 40% of the food we purchase, statistically equivalent to an average consumer buying five bags of groceries and immediately dumping two bags in the trash upon leaving the store.
Read on to find out the industrial and business sectors that contribute most to excess food waste. The information was compiled based on data from the 2018 Wasted Food Report from the Environmental Protection Agency, released in the fall of 2020. Although the COVID-19 pandemic impacted each of these sectors’ contributions to food waste, this data examines how these industries contribute to food waste when operating at normal capacity.

Manufacturing and processing
- Annual generation: 39.8 million tons (38.7% of total)
- 0.1 pounds per dollar in annual sales
Residential
- Annual generation: 25.0 million tons (24.2% of total, 39.5% of non-manufacturing total)
- 338.0 annual pounds per household
Restaurants and food services
- Annual generation: 17.1 million tons (16.6% of total, 27.1% of non-manufacturing total)
— Full-service restaurants: 78,260.0 annual pounds per facility
— Limited-service restaurants: 81,820.0 annual pounds per facility
Supermarkets and supercenters
- Annual generation: 8.7 million tons (8.4% of total, 13.8% of non-manufacturing total)
— Supermarkets: 209,760.0 annual pounds per establishment
— Supercenters: 10.0 pounds per dollar in annual sales
Office buildings
- Annual generation: 4.1 million tons (4.0% of total, 6.4% of non-manufacturing total)
- 169.9 annual pounds per employee
Food wholesale
- Annual generation: 4.0 million tons (3.9% of total, 6.3% of non-manufacturing total)
- 241,360.0 annual pounds per facility
K-12 schools
- Annual generation: 1.2 million tons (1.2% of total, 2.0% of non-manufacturing total)
- 0.4 pounds per meal
Hotels
- Annual generation: 1.2 million tons (1.2% of total, 1.9% of non-manufacturing total)
- 1,137.8 annual pounds per employee
Colleges and universities
- Annual generation: 613,106 tons (0.6% of total, 1.0% of non-manufacturing total)
- 20.0 annual pounds per student
Nursing homes
- Annual generation: 451,124 tons (0.4% of total, 0.7% of non-manufacturing total)
- 657.0 annual pounds per bed
Correctional facilities
- Annual generation: 440,679 tons (0.4% of total, 0.7% of non-manufacturing total)
- 1.1 daily pounds per inmate
Food banks
- Annual generation: 426,057 tons (0.4% of total, 0.7% of non-manufacturing total)
- 654,000.0 annual pounds per establishment
Hospitals
- Annual generation: 301,576 tons (0.3% of total, 0.5% of non-manufacturing total)
- 653.1 annual pounds per bed
Military installations
- Annual generation: 61,373 tons (0.1% of total, 0.1% of non-manufacturing total)
- 105.3 annual pounds per active duty member
Sports venues
- Annual generation: 38,154 tons (0.0% of total, 0.1% of non-manufacturing total)
- 0.3 annual pounds per visitor
*This story originally appeared on Pela and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker.com