Choose one question for the week
Choose a narrow question, such as why produce is discarded or how much prepared food goes uneaten. EPA emphasizes that knowing how much and why food is wasted helps identify effective prevention strategies. Each detail you record should help answer that question.
Define the household and dates covered. Note unusual events such as travel, illness, parties, or a refrigerator problem so one atypical week is not mistaken for the normal pattern.
Write it down when the food is discarded
Capture the ordinary food name, approximate amount, estimated purchase cost, and reason. Useful reasons include overbuying, hidden inventory, storage failure, schedule change, disliked food, oversized portion, and unavoidable preparation scrap.
Use a consistent unit that is easy enough to maintain: portions, pieces, cups, package fraction, or weight if a scale is already available. Exact measurements are less important than using the same method throughout the week.
Record whether the surplus could have been avoided
EPA's Wasted Food Scale places prevention at the top because avoiding surplus preserves the resources used to produce, transport, and prepare food. Donation or composting may be preferable to disposal in some circumstances, but the purchase may still have created avoidable surplus.
Mark edible avoidable food separately from inedible or normally unavoidable parts. Apply local rules for donation and organics. Never encourage consuming questionable food simply to improve an audit result.
Change one repeated cause, then measure again
Look for the controllable reason that appears most often, even if it is not the largest one-time cost. If leafy greens repeatedly go unused, try a smaller package or fewer planned salads. If leftovers are forgotten, assign a lunch when storing them.
Run the audit again after two or three weeks using the same definitions. Compare the target category and note any tradeoffs. A lower dollar estimate may not be useful if it requires more shopping trips or leaves the household with inadequate food.
Use the details you have
Questions that need a little more context
How long should the first audit run?
One representative week is a practical start; repeat it to avoid overreacting to unusual events.
Must I weigh everything?
No. A consistent household-friendly unit can reveal patterns, though weight improves comparison when practical.
Does composted food count?
Track it separately. Diversion changes destination, while prevention asks whether surplus could have been avoided.
Read the original guidance
We checked these links on August 5, 2026. The numbered badges jump to this source list; a source listed here does not support every sentence above. Agency pages and product instructions can change, so open the relevant link when making a current decision.
Household planning, shopping, storage, preparation, and waste-prevention practices.
Waste audits, prevention, purchasing, inventory, and source reduction.
Limits of this guide: CrispSum cannot inspect a specific food or reconstruct its temperature and handling history. Follow the product label and current official instructions for recalls, outages, illness, and emergencies.
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