Americans pivot to leftovers, buying less food at stores, Pringles maker says
Pantries have plenty of surplus, too, with 42.8 million tons of food stashed in kitchens in 2022.
By Deena Shanker | Bloomberg
Americans have been buying less food at supermarkets amid persistent inflation, and the head of the maker of Pringles chips and Cheez-It snacks thinks he’s figured out a major factor behind the change.
Kellanova Chief Executive Officer Steve Cahillane isn’t seeing “volume destruction,” in which Americans would actually eat significantly less, he said in a call with investors Thursday. Rather, they’re incorporating new behaviors, such as “making sure leftovers are really used.” He called that a “consumer behavior that will remain.”
American households have plenty to work with: In 2022, Americans had a surplus of 42.8 million tons of food in their kitchens, or nearly half the total amount of surplus food in the US, and by far more than farms, manufacturers, restaurants or retailers, according to data from nonprofit ReFed.
The US Department of Agriculture estimates that a family of four wastes about $1,500 a year on trashed food.