Food Waste Starts Before It Hits Your Fridge: Why Reducing Farm-Level Food Loss Matters

Question for you: When you picture “food waste,” what comes to mind?

It’s easy to think of food waste as something that happens in our kitchens… unfinished leftovers being scraped into the bin, forgotten produce going wilted in your crisper drawer, or over-purchased groceries. This waste is real but it’s just one part of the story.

And there’s some encouraging news here: at the household level, we’re making real progress reducing food waste. According to the latest report from ReFED, U.S. food waste dropped by 2.2% in 2024 – and that reduction was largely driven by households, including a nearly 950,000-ton decrease in residential food waste.

So while we celebrate the serious progress households have made, we want to spotlight a part of the food waste story that begins much earlier than your kitchen or even the grocery store: food loss on the farm.

THE WHAT

So what does food loss on the farm actually look like?

According to ReFED, farms generated 16.9 million tons of surplus food in 2024, making up a significant share of the total surplus food in the United States. And most of that food never even leaves the farm. It is left unharvested in the fields.

This is not food that has spoiled or gone bad. In many cases, it is fresh, nutritious, and ready to be eaten. It just never enters the supply chain.

THE WHY

So why does this happen?

The reasons are complex, but they often come down to economics and logistics rather than intent.

Market conditions can shift quickly. If the price a farmer can get for a crop drops below the cost of harvesting it, it may not make financial sense to pick it at all.

Cosmetic standards also play a major role. Buyers often expect produce to look a certain way, which means fruits and vegetables that are slightly misshapen, too small, or too large can be left behind even though they are perfectly edible.

Timing and labor are another challenge. Harvest windows can be short, and without enough labor at the right moment, crops can go unpicked.

There are also gaps in infrastructure. Even when farmers want to donate or redirect surplus food, transportation, storage, and coordination can make it difficult. As a result, only a small percentage of surplus food from farms is recovered for people to eat. Of what is recovered, a majority moves through the charitable food system, donated for tax credit rather than actual dollars to help a farmer’s bottom line.

By the time this food is lost, the resources used to grow it have already been spent. Water, energy, land, and labor have all gone into producing food that never gets consumed.

This is why farm-level food loss matters. It is one of the earliest points in the food system, and one of the biggest opportunities to make a difference.

RETAAZA’S ROLE

This is also where Retaaza’s work comes in.

By working directly with farmers, Retaaza helps create a market for produce that might otherwise go unsold or unharvested. That means more of what is grown actually gets eaten, farmers have more reliable outlets for their crops, and farmers are paid through our farmer-first pricing that reflects the value of their work.

It can look like moving surplus produce during peak harvest, sourcing locally when supply is high, or embracing produce that does not meet traditional cosmetic standards. 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: FIELD TO FORK

Driven by the belief that every crop grown deserves a chance to nourish a neighbor rather than feed into the issue of food waste, Retaaza has been purchasing produce at risk of becoming food loss and donating it to local nonprofit partners since our beginning. Recently, this work has been strengthened through our program partnership with Second Helpings Atlanta. Field to Fork helps make this belief an everyday reality by making it possible for us to rescue, and pay for, more potentially wasted food.

Our Field to Fork Program rescues fresh, Georgia-grown produce and delivers it to Metro Atlanta nonprofit agencies feeding our communities. Through our model of compensating Georgia’s farmers at farmer-first prices, we cover the cost of growing and harvesting fresh produce, provide an additional revenue stream for farmers, and deliver fresh produce to families in need. This partnership leverages our respective strengths, with Retaaza rescuing and purchasing Georgia-Grown produce at risk of being wasted and Second Helpings Atlanta identifying and delivering food to those who need it most. See the latest program updates from Field to Fork.

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