Food waste, worked out.

Short answers to questions about food at home, with the math shown and every figure linked to its source.

• The mathWhy do food-waste numbers never match? (19, 56, 62, 69 or 145 kg)France's food-waste figures range from 19 to 145 kg per person. They measure different things. A plain guide to which number answers which question.Updated 9 November 2026
• The mathHow much food do households throw away in each EU country?How much food households throw away in each EU country, per person: Eurostat's 2024 figures, with the caveats most rankings leave out.Updated 9 November 2026
• The mathHow much food does a French household throw away in a year?French households threw away 19 kg of edible food per person in 2024, about 41 kg per household. What the new SDES figures say, and what they don't.Updated 9 November 2026