2023 Food Waste Rescue Potential in Albuquerque-NRDC Food Calculator Results

By tackling food waste, cities can rein in climate emissions, reduce municipal waste costs, and help relieve community food insecurity. Through NRDC’s Food Matters project, we have estimated a city-wide baseline level of food waste generation and assessed the potential for increased rescue of surplus food. This snapshot can help identify opportunities for policy, outreach, and interventions to achieve the city’s goals. FOOD WASTE IN ALBUQUERQUE Though actual measurement of wasted food is optimal, waste audits can be costly, time-consuming, and sometimes impractical. The model for calculating these estimates using proxy metrics was identified from a range of national sources and NRDC’s original research. We estimate 112,600 tons of food waste are generated in Albuquerque each year. When the residential sector was included in our estimates, it is the highest food waste producing sector at nearly 52,000 tons of food waste per year. The largest industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) sector generating food waste is restaurants, totaling 38,000 tons, more than all other sectors combined. KEY FACTS 13% food insecurity in Albuquerque 112K tons of food waste in Albuquerque 40% of all food in the U.S. is wasted $400B of food waste each year in the U.S. 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste The report also includes recommendations including focusing on households and restaurants as well as increasing efforts with hotels and small retail stores.