You’ve heard about food waste. You’ve heard about the impact of wasting food. But did you know that food waste hides more than leftovers? It hides lost profits, labor, energy – and opportunity. The following food waste statistics reveal the scale of the problem.
Every kilo of food waste costs around €7, wastes 7,000 liters of water, and emits 4.5 kg of CO₂. That’s a massive drain – on both your bottom line and the planet.
But beyond that, there are many real hidden costs of food waste that people often don’t think about. Read further to find out about some more food waste statistics.
How many layers are there and what are they?
Take a simple example: a chicken. It’s bought, stored, prepped, and cooked – using time, labor, energy, and fridge space. If it’s thrown away, you’ve lost more than just food. Let’s get into the food waste statistics.
- Cost of Goods
- The most obvious one: you paid for that chicken, and now it’s in the trash. That’s raw material cost down the drain.
- Labor Costs
- From delivery to cleanup, that chicken consumed valuable staff time. All that labor – gone to waste, affecting productivity and team efficiency.
- Energy & Storage Costs
- Refrigerating, cooking, and cleaning all consume gas, electricity, and water. When the food goes uneaten, so do those resources – with zero return.
- Waste Disposal Costs
- Once it’s thrown away, you’re paying (directly or indirectly) for waste collection and disposal.
- Sustainability & Reputation Costs
- Wasting food increases your carbon footprint and undermines sustainability commitments.
- Lost Revenue & Profit Margin
- You lose not only revenue but the full profit margin and guest satisfaction that comes with it.
That’s a long journey for the chicken to make – just to end up in the bin.. That’s more than just waste. It’s lost time, lost money, and lost impact. But wait, there’s more.
The truly hidden layers of food waste
Now we are getting to the truly hidden costs of food waste that affect not only your bottom line but the whole planet. Let’s take a look at the extra hidden food waste statistics.
- Animal Feed Production
- Over its lifetime, that chicken ate hundreds of pounds of grain, soy, and/or corn. Producing that feed requires massive amounts of land, water, fertilizer, and fuel.
- Water Use
- It takes an estimated 4,000-5,000 liters of water to raise a single chicken to market weight. That includes drinking water and the water used to grow its feed.
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Chickens might be less emissions-intensive than cows, but they still generate a whole lot of greenhouse gases.
- Processing & Packaging
- After the chicken has been processed, it goes through energy-intensive chilling, processing, and packaging. Plastics, cardboard, and chemicals are all involved.
- Transportation
- From the farm -> Processor -> Distributor and finally to the restaurant. Every step involves refrigerated trucking, contributing to more emissions and fuel use.
It sounds unbelievable, but.. this isn’t it. There are even more layers to the farming, production, processing, transporting, storing, and preparation of that chicken. All these hidden costs add up, making food waste a lot more expensive than it seems at first glance. For both your wallet and the environment.
The good news? It’s all preventable – with the right visibility. Hundreds of kitchens now track and reduce food waste automatically using Orbisk’s AI technology.
Food Waste Statistics: Can you prevent all this waste?
Yes! You can. And it’s much simpler than you may think.
Together with our AI-driven food waste monitor, 100s of hotels have already tackled this problem. The Orbi is our AI-powered, automated food waste tracker. It fits into any kitchen and requires zero manual input, delivering real-time insights that drive savings fast.
It helps professional kitchens of all sizes easily track and reduce their food waste within months. Within just 6 weeks, Raffles Singapore cut food waste by 29% and saved over €9,000 – all without changing how their team worked. Click here to read the full success story.
Are you curious to read about some more statistics on food waste? Click here to read the 2024 Orbisk Impact Report.
Want to stop the hidden losses in your kitchen? Schedule a free consultation with our team and discover how the Orbi can help your kitchen waste less and save more.
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