Factsheets

Americans enjoy a diverse abundance of low-cost food, spending a mere 11.2% of disposable income on food.¹ However, store prices do not reflect the external costs—economic, social, and environmental—that impact the sustainability of the food system. Considering the full life cycle of the U.S. food system illuminates the connection between consumption behaviors and production practices.

The Food System Life Cycle

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Patterns of Use

Agricultural Production

• In 2022, farmers were 1% of the U.S. population and 63% of these farmers were over the age of 55, up 2% from 2017.^2,3,4 
• Large-scale family farms and industrial nonfamily farms account for under 6% of farms, but represent over 60% of production (in $).⁵ Small-scale family farms represent 88% of U.S. farms, but only 18.7% of production.⁵ 
• Just 14.5¢ of every dollar spent on food in 2021 went back to the farm; in 1975, it was 40¢.^6,7
• In 2018-2020, 41% of the hired agricultural labor force lacked authorization to work in the United States.⁸
• From 1997 to 2022, U.S. cropland decreased by 14% from 445M to 382M acres.² 
• Many agricultural regions in the U.S. are experiencing groundwater depletion (withdrawal exceeds recharge rate).⁹ In 2015, 118B gal/d of water were used for irrigation 48% of it from groundwater.^10,11
• In 2022, the amount of irrigated farmland in the U.S. was over 54M acres, 4M less than in 2017.²
• Nutrient runoff from the upper agricultural regions of the Mississippi River watershed creates a hypoxic “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. The 2017 dead zone was the largest measured since 1985, at 8,776 mi².¹²
• From 2007 to 2012, pesticide use increased by 10% while herbicide use increased by 20% from 2010 to 2014.¹³ In 2012, the U.S. agriculture sector used 899M lbs of pesticides.¹³
• In 2000, 25% of corn, 61% of cotton, and 54% of soybeans planted were genetically engineered; by 2023, these percentages increased to 93%, 97%, and 95%, respectively.¹⁴
• The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 75B t of soil are lost to erosion annually on fertile lands, a financial loss of $400B per year.¹⁵
• Agriculture was responsible for 10% of total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2022. Methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are the main GHGs emitted by agricultural activities. Livestock and soil management are major contributors.¹⁶

Consumption Patterns

• In 2010, U.S. food supply provided 4,000 calories per person per day.¹⁷ Accounting for waste, the average American consumed 2,501 calories per day in 2010, up 22% from 1970.¹⁸
• One estimate suggests that 2% of total annual energy use in the U.S. is used to produce food that is later wasted.¹⁹
• In 2021, 185 lbs of meat per person were available for consumption, up 11.6 lbs from 1969.²⁰ Red meat consumption declined 24% since 1970, while chicken consumption more than doubled.²⁰ Animal feed uses 36% of grains grown.²¹
• 22.2 tsp of sweeteners are available per capita in the U.S. daily; the American Heart Association recommends limiting daily added sugars to 6-9 tsp.^22,23
• Approximately 41% of U.S. adults and over 20% of 12-19  year-olds are obese (BMI > 30).²⁴ Diet plays a significant role in health. Diets lacking fruits and vegetables can increase risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and stroke.²⁵
• U.S. EPA estimates that 30%-40% of the 2023 food supply was lost as waste, 50% more than in 1970.^26,27 More food waste reaches landfills than any other material.²⁶ This waste accounted for 22% of the municipal solid waste stream in 2018, a loss of $450 and around 350 pounds of food waste per person each year.^28,27,26 For more information, see the MSW factsheet.

Material Flow in the U.S. Food System²⁹ (1995, flows in million pounds)

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Life Cycle Impacts

• The energy used by a system can be an indicator of its sustainability. Food accounts for over 12% of the national energy budget.³⁰
• The food system as a whole has developed a dependence on fossil energy; 13 units of (primarily) fossil energy are used for every unit of food energy available.^19,31 Production of U.S. food results in 4.7 kg CO₂e of GHG emissions and 25.2 MJ fossil fuel energy use per capita per day.³²
• Reliance on fossil fuel inputs makes the food system vulnerable to oil price fluctuations.²⁹
• Consolidation of farms, food processing operations, and distribution warehouses often increases the distance between food sources and consumers.²⁹⁴
• Consolidation in the food system is also concentrating management decisions into fewer hands. Four firms control 85% of the beef packing market, and 82% of soybean processing is controlled by four firms.³³ The top four food retailers sold almost 35% of U.S. food in 2019, compared to 15% in 1990.³⁴
• The UN estimates that food waste, excluding fish and seafood, costs around $750B annually.³⁵