Somewhere right now, a family is clearing out their kitchen for a move. Canned goods, pasta, rice, half a shelf of perfectly good food…and most of it will end up in a trash bag before the movers arrive.
Every year, 92 billion pounds of food end up in U.S. landfills. At the same time, 47 million Americans don't know where their next meal is coming from.
When LawnStarter set out to rank all 50 states on food waste for their analysis, they turned to Move For Hunger founder Adam Lowy for perspective on what the data actually means, and what any of us can do about it right now.
The Problem Starts Closer Than You Think
It's easy to think of food waste as an industrial or policy problem. Something that happens at the supply chain level, far removed from daily life. Adam pushes back on that framing directly.
"Nearly 40% of food waste happens in the home, so it's important to be mindful. Use what's in your fridge, embrace the 'ugly' produce, and get creative with leftovers."
Three practical tips for reducing waste before it starts:
- Shop your fridge and pantry first. Plan meals around what you already have before adding anything new to your cart.
- Buy with a purpose. A short, intentional list beats aspirational groceries every time.
- Freeze extras early. Don't wait until leftovers look sad. The freezer is one of the most underused tools in the fight against household food waste.
Stop Trusting the Date on the Label
One of the most preventable drivers of household food waste is also one of the most misunderstood: date labels. Most people assume that a "Best By" or "Sell By" date is a safety deadline. It isn't. Adam continues:
"'Sell By' is mainly for stores. 'Best if Used By' is about peak quality, not safety. None of these dates are regulated by the FDA, so they're basically meaningless. Trust your senses and storage. If it looks and smells fine and was handled safely, it's often still good after a 'best' date."
This confusion between quality and safety sends billions of pounds of perfectly edible food to landfills every year. Understanding the difference is one of the simplest, highest-impact changes any household can make.
When It Comes to Composting, the Answer Is Clear
For food that does go unused, the question of what to do with it matters, both environmentally and practically. Adam's answer is straightforward:
"If you've got the option, composting wins — it keeps food out of landfills where it can generate methane and turns scraps into something useful.
A garbage disposal can feel convenient, but it sends food into the wastewater system — so it's not 'disappearing,' it's just taking a different, often less ideal, route. Trashing it is the worst-case scenario for both waste and emissions."
Food waste rotting in landfills generates methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The environmental case for composting is measurable, and it starts at home.
Awareness Is the Starting Point. Action Is the Point.
The LawnStarter analysis makes clear that the states making the most progress on food waste share a common thread: they did more than raise awareness, they built systems. Policies backed by infrastructure. Intent backed by action.
That's the same principle Move For Hunger has operated on since 2009.
Moving trucks already travel those routes. Relocation professionals already interact with families at the exact moment food is most likely to be left behind. Housing operators already manage transitions where surplus food is generated every day. The infrastructure to make a difference already exists. The question is whether we choose to use it with purpose.
That choice has added up. To date, that choice has helped Move For Hunger deliver more than 50 million meals to communities in need across the United States and Canada. This work positively impacts communities, but also the environment.
Ultimately, fifty million meals were delivered, not because we built something from scratch, but because we connected systems that already existed to the people who needed them most. These systems exist all around us, we just have to work together.
Read Adam's Full Q&A - and Explore the Complete State-by-State Rankings
Adam's complete Q&A with LawnStarter covers more ground than we could fit here, from freezer storage best practices to how Move for Hunger's food rescue model works at scale. The full study also ranks all 50 states on food waste, breaking down where progress is happening and where the biggest gaps remain.
Read the full LawnStarter analysis and Adam's complete Q&A here.
Ready to Turn Awareness Into Action?
For Individuals and Families: Next time you move, don't throw away what's in your pantry. Donate it! Move for Hunger's network of moving companies will pick up your non-perishable food and deliver it directly to a local food bank. Find a mover in our network.
For Organizations and Businesses: If you operate in moving, multifamily housing, or logistics, food rescue can become part of your existing workflow. Not an add-on, but a built-in part of how you do business. Learn how to partner with Move for Hunger.
Every pound of food rescued reaches someone who needs it. The solutions already exist, we just have to choose them.
