New Loss Estimates Suggest Higher Vegetable and Protein Consumption

Each year, ERS estimates the amount of food available for consumption in the US. By summing production, beginning stocks, and imports, and subtracting exports, ending stocks, and nonfood uses, ERS calculates the total supply of hundreds of foods. ERS contracted with the research organization RTI International to develop updated consumer-level loss estimates. For some foods, the new RTI estimates and the original ERS loss estimates are similar. For example, ERS assumed 13% of provolone cheese is lost annually at the consumer level, while the RTI estimate is 14%. RTI loss estimates for fresh pumpkin, Swiss cheese, and lard are much higher than those previously used by ERS, while RTI estimates for chicken, lamb, and frozen potatoes are lower.