While food waste is commonly seen as just discarded food in landfills, it also represents wasted resources used throughout growing and selling processes, such as water to grow the food, transport to bring the food from farm to warehouse, and warehouse to grocery store. This creates significant monetary losses across the entire supply chain, imposing economic burdens at all levels. By understanding and addressing the issue of wasted food more fully, communities can see significant financial benefits while simultaneously improving public health outcomes.

It is commonly assumed that food waste from country to country depends on people’s cultural perception of food. This idea can mean differences from portion sizes, to the conception of food in an anthropological sense.