Bipartisan support in both the House and Senate for the federal Food Date Labeling Act, new national baselines for food waste in the retail and foodservice sectors and federal dollars committed to a national anti-food waste consumer education campaign all signaled progress in reducing food waste in the United States.
And, experts from ReFED predict a positive look ahead into 2026.
Here are five food waste trends to expect throughout the year.
1. Inflation and high food prices encourage consumer behavior changes that can lead to food waste reduction.
In a November 2025 survey conducted by NielsenIQ and ReFED, Americans reported coping with elevated food prices by adopting meal preparation changes like using leftovers more (45%) and being more conscious of using up fresh foods before spoilage (40%), while 48% reported cutting back on non-essential items at the grocery store.
In 2026, expect these types of behaviors to grow in a way that could have a measurable impact on consumer food waste in the home.
2. Food businesses will prioritize solutions that can be embedded in core operations and drive business impact.
In 2026, expect food waste innovation moving toward integrated systems that embed prevention, efficiency, and diversion into core operations. The most scalable solutions—and the ones that will be prioritized by food businesses—will be those that minimize reliance on sustained behavior change.
Also, new research from ReFED and Datassential shows that nearly 60% of Americans are more likely to visit restaurants offering customizable portions (a number that jumps to nearly 75% for GLP-1 users), creating a business incentive for restaurant owners and operators to add flexibility to their portion options in the months and years ahead.
3. The continuation of bipartisan, administration-led support for food waste reduction at the national level.
In a Christmas Eve op-ed published in The Hill, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said, “When surplus food is reduced, redirected, or repurposed, families gain access to healthy meals, farmers and businesses find new value in products that might otherwise go unused, and communities strengthen systems that help keep America fed.” This commitment at the highest level of national government bodes well for food waste action in 2026, whether that be the passage of the federal Food Date Labeling Act, expansion of the U.S. EPA’s Feed It Onward initiative, or federal support for markets for imperfect produce.
At the state level, constrained budgets might mean less funding for things like organics recycling infrastructure.
4. The proliferation of artificial intelligence will continue to make food waste solutions more effective and scalable.
Innovators working across the prevention, recovery, and recycling spectrum are incorporating artificial intelligence to enhance purchasing and inventory management, improve waste tracking in foodservice settings, or better connect surplus food at grocery stores to consumers looking for discounts.
5. The clear connection between food waste reduction and social impact will unlock new funding from philanthropists and impact investors.
In 2026, anticipate that more philanthropic funders and impact investors will become interested in food waste from a social impact perspective—food insecurity, food affordability, consumer savings, and more.
