--- title: United States Food Waste: How To Stop It description: Two federal agencies on Wednesday called for a 50% reduction in food waste in the United States by 2030 canonical: https://time.com/4037087/food-waste-united-states/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-16T20:48:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:01:38.900Z article:section: Health og:title: U.S. Aims to Cut Food Waste in Half by 2030 og:description: "Let's feed people, not landfills" og:url: https://time.com/4037087/food-waste-united-states/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Aims to Cut Food Waste in Half by 2030 twitter:description: "Let's feed people, not landfills" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # U.S. Aims to Cut Food Waste in Half by 2030 > Sponsored content. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Sep 16, 2015 8:48 PM UTC  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Sep 16, 2015 8:48 PM UTC Two federal agencies on Wednesday called for a 50% reduction in food waste in the United States by 2030 and announced a partnership with charities and private sector organizations to cut waste. The announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency comes in advance of a discussion of sustainability at the United Nations in New York City next week. “Let’s feed people, not landfills,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy in a press release. “Today’s announcement presents a major environmental, social and public health opportunity for the U.S.” **Read more:** [Here’s How To Cut Down On Food Waste](http://time.com/3892206/expiration-dates-food-waste/) The average American household of four wastes more than two million calories of food with a value of nearly $1,500 each year, according to the USDA. In total, nearly a third of the food supply goes to waste. At the same, nearly 50 million Americans [live in food insecure households](http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger/hunger-and-poverty/hunger-and-poverty-fact-sheet.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/). Wednesday’s announcement was billed as the latest in a slew of initiatives to change these trends. Food waste reduction efforts also help in the fight against climate change. Organic matter that winds up in landfills eventually creates methane gas, a greenhouse gas that accelerates global warming. ### 5 Foods That Taste Better in September Than They Will All Year  Swiss chard tolerates both cool temperatures and the heat, so you will see tasty varieties in September. Getty Images  Rutabaga, a fall favorite, can be chunked or mashed, similar to potatoes. Getty Images  While lettuce is known for growing fast in full sun, Joan Casanova, spokesperson for Bonnie Plants, says it is one of few vegetables that also does well in the shade. Getty Images  These greens are extremely easy to grow in the fall, when nights become longer and cooler turnip greens get crisper and sweeter, says Casanova. Getty Images  Leeks don’t produce bulbs like onions do, but they “stash their flavor in thick, juicy stems that look like huge scallions,” says Casanova. 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