Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Michael Webber is co-author of the article “Wasted Food, Wasted Energy: The Embedded Energy in Food Waste in the United States” published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. In this paper, Webber estimates the energy embedded in food waste each year in the United States.

View This Article

Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Michael Webber is co-author of the article “Wasted Food, Wasted Energy: The Embedded Energy in Food Waste in the United States” published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. In this paper, Webber estimates the energy embedded in food waste each year in the United States. As concerns about population growth, resource depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions rise, scientists are working to gain a better understanding of the relationship between food and energy, particularly the amount of energy lost in wasted food. To estimate this energy loss, the authors first calculate the amount of energy required to produce food from agriculture, through transportation, processing, and retailing, and for preparation and consumption. They then combine these data with USDA food loss factors to calculate the energy required at four distinct food production steps.

Webber finds that the energy embedded in food waste represents approximately two percent of annual energy consumption in the United States, a substantial amount when compared with other methods of energy conservation. Reducing the energy embedded in food waste could lead to an overall decreased level of energy consumption in the U.S. The authors stress the importance of further research that utilizes more recent and accurate accounts of the energy used in various food production industries as well as the resulting food waste from these industries.