Why only 13% of surplus food gets donated by US supermarkets and other retailers to help hungry people – and how food pantries are trying to gather more

Picking up food more frequently from supermarkets doesn’t close the gap between what’s donated and could be donated, a supply chain scholar explains.

By: John Lowrey, Northeastern University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 6, 2026

Words: 1,194

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 2 days ago

By John Lowrey, Northeastern University

Low-income Americans need more help getting enough to eat, but not much of the food retailers that sell groceries could potentially donate is given away. Only 13% of it ends up at food banks, according to a 2026 report produced by ReFED, a nonprofit that studies and tries to prevent food waste.

The rest is composted; turned into animal feed, biofuels and other industrial products; …

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