To set maximum monthly SNAP benefits, FNS uses the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), the least costly of four nutritionally balanced food plans developed by the USDA. The TFP provides an estimate of the monthly cost of meeting nutritional needs for individuals. Understanding the amount of food wasted at the household level is an integral part of the TFP because even the thriftiest households generate some food loss or waste.
The current TFP assumes five percent of purchased food is wasted. As a result of underreporting food waste and outdated data on household food consumption patterns, this could be a severe underestimation. Underestimating household food waste is a concern because it creates a gap between the amount of food SNAP benefits are expected to provide and the amount of food households consume.
To identify and measure household food waste, the MEF Team, including Abt Global and Food Waste expert Kathryn Bender, will:
1. Collect mixed methods data to understand sources and reasons for household food waste, including household surveys, digital food diaries, wastebin audits, and in-depth interviews to accurately measure the amount of food waste produced by households and understand why households are not able to consume all the food they purchase.
2. Analyze how food waste differs by household characteristics.
3. Provide alternative options for tools FNS can use to update food waste estimates every five years.