Last week, ReFED released the new From Surplus to Solutions: 2025 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report, which features the latest data on the progress, trends, and remaining challenges in reducing food loss and waste in the United States.

To help you get an understanding of what the new report is and why it’s important, we sat down with ReFED President Dana Gunders to ask a few questions. Her answers are summarized below.

To begin, can you explain what “From Surplus to Solutions: 2025 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report” is and who it’s for?

Our newest report represents a landscape assessment that pulls together ReFED data and modeling with external research to paint a picture of where the United States is at currently when it comes to addressing unsold or uneaten food—what we call surplus food—and where we need to go. We think it’s the most comprehensive analysis of its kind that’s out there, and it’s something that we will reproduce annually to showcase key statistics, insights, and points of progress on the issue.

The report is for all food system actors, from funders to food businesses to solution providers to policymakers—anyone with a vested interest in reducing wasted food in our country. We want the report to become a go-to resource to inform and drive action to reduce surplus food across the supply chain.

What types of information are included and what can readers expect?

The report provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of surplus food in the United States, spanning the entire food supply chain, with a particular focus on food businesses and consumers. It also features updated analysis on the financial implications of surplus food and the impact on climate and natural resources.

In addition, the report includes analysis on food donation, policy related to surplus food, and the funding landscape for solutions to the problem. One of the coolest parts of the report is our updated modeling of food waste solutions, including a brand new marginal food waste abatement cost curve. We haven’t released one of these since 2016, so it’s definitely something to check out!

I’d say readers can expect the best-in-class quality data that ReFED is known for in a clear and easy-to-digest format.

In your perspective, what is the main message readers will walk away with?

The central message is that while we have seen significant momentum in preventing and reducing food from going to waste—and the foundation for progress has been laid—waste remains stubbornly high. After a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, quantities of surplus food rebounded in 2023 to an alarming 73.9 million tons or 31% of the food supply at a value of $382 billion.

As such, accelerated action is needed from all food system actors, from funders to food businesses to solution providers to policymakers, to reduce food loss and waste. We’re still far off from meeting the national 2030 food loss and waste reduction target, and unless the pace of action picks up, we’re not going to come close.

So I think that readers will walk away with a sense that change is possible, but we need to get to work. Fortunately, the report highlights some bright spots, and our hope is we can build on this momentum to make 2025 and future years the most consequential yet when it comes to reducing surplus food.

How should people use this report? How will it help advance solutions to food waste?

We think that wherever you sit in the surplus food ecosystem, this report has information that will be helpful for you and your work. Whether that’s new data to inform your decisionmaking, new analysis to guide your understanding of the problem, or even inspiration to motivate you to keep pushing forward, this report has something for you.

We see this report as a driver for action. And each year, we will continue to adapt the report content to meet the moment.

Anything else you’d like to add?

We want to hear from you! How do you plan to use the report? What would you like to see in future editions? Did anything surprise you? Was significant progress made in the last year that we missed? Let us know! And happy reading.

Download “From Surplus to Solutions: 2025 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report” here, read the press release here, and sign up for our mailing list to stay up-to-date on all future ReFED news and reports!