Reports

Upstream Food Loss Across the Beef and Dairy Supply Chains

ReFED | April 6, 2026

In this report, ReFED, supported by the Global Methane Hub, commissioned World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to conduct a comprehensive assessment of upstream food loss in U.S. beef and dairy systems from a structured review of 91 peer-reviewed scientific papers and technical reports from both U.S. and international sources, alongside 14 primary interviews. The analysis synthesizes the most current available data on upstream U.S. beef and dairy losses, and serves as a necessary first step toward estimating the scale of food loss in U.S. beef and dairy production, its economic and environmental costs, and where targeted solutions can meaningfully reduce those impacts

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