--- title: Thanksgiving & Food Waste, What The Data Shows [Infographic] description: So much food waste is generated during Thanksgiving. This infographic showcases how 2014 USDA food loss percentages translate to the Thanksgiving plate. image: http://info.foodspoileralert.com/hubfs/Thanksgiving_Food_Waste_Statistics.png --- [![Spoiler Alert logo white](https://blog.spoileralert.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SpoilerAlert_WhiteLogo_LeftStacked%20(7).png?width=250&name=SpoilerAlert_WhiteLogo_LeftStacked%20(7).png)](https://www.spoileralert.com/) - [Home](https://www.spoileralert.com) - [Solutions](https://www.spoileralert.com/sales) - [Blog](https://www.spoileralert.com/blog) - [Resources](https://www.spoileralert.com/resources) # Spoiler Alert Blog | Food Waste [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Thanksgiving%20%26%20Food%20Waste%2C%20What%20The%20Data%20Shows%20%5BInfographic%5D) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) # The Fowl Truth: Thanksgiving & Food Waste, What The Data Shows \[Infographic\] [Emily Malina](https://blog.spoileralert.com/author/emily-malina) Nov 18, 2015 ![Emily Malina](https://blog.spoileralert.com/hubfs/Emily_heashot.jpg) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Thanksgiving food waste statistics banner with thanksgiving dinner in background](https://blog.spoileralert.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Thanksgiving_Food_Waste_Statistics.png?width=760&name=Thanksgiving_Food_Waste_Statistics.png) [Dana Gunders](https://twitter.com/dgunders) said it best in [a 2012 blog post](https://www.nrdc.org/experts/dana-gunders/thanksgiving-be-more-grateful-wasteful): “It’s the ultimate irony, really.  We feast to celebrate that our ancestors had enough food to survive their first winter, acknowledging that once upon a time food was something to be grateful for.  Then the next day, we throw half of it away.” ## Thanksgiving Food Waste So many Thanksgiving ingredients end up trashed at various points throughout the food supply chain - from [leftover pumpkins in the field](https://blog.spoileralert.com/what-happens-to-pumpkins-after-halloween) to unsold birds stored in the warehouses to oversized portions on consumers’ plates. It’s a waste of our resources, a waste of our cooking time, and quite frankly, a wasted opportunity to put food on the table in food insecure households. We’ve gathered statistics from a [2014 USDA report](https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=43836) on food losses in the United States, and showcased how these percentages translate to the Thanksgiving plate. This year, in the true spirit of giving thanks, let’s be mindful of food that is wasted and thankful for the food we are fortunate enough to enjoy.  [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/605444/a4dec761-e3f6-419c-aeaa-52c96b9ec276.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/605444/a4dec761-e3f6-419c-aeaa-52c96b9ec276) [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Thanksgiving%20%26%20Food%20Waste%2C%20What%20The%20Data%20Shows%20%5BInfographic%5D) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.spoileralert.com%2Fthanksgiving-food-waste%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Topic - [liquidation (43)](https://blog.spoileralert.com/topic/liquidation) - [supply chain (32)](https://blog.spoileralert.com/topic/supply-chain) - [unsold inventory (28)](https://blog.spoileralert.com/topic/unsold-inventory) - [food brand (25)](https://blog.spoileralert.com/topic/food-brand) - [discount retail (23)](https://blog.spoileralert.com/topic/discount-retail) - [sustainability (23)](https://blog.spoileralert.com/topic/sustainability) - [policy (17)](https://blog.spoileralert.com/topic/policy) - [Customer Spotlights (15)](https://blog.spoileralert.com/topic/customer-spotlights) - [donation (12)](https://blog.spoileralert.com/topic/donation) see all