Thanksgiving is often seen as a time for family gatherings and shared meals, but experts at Florida State University (FSU) are drawing attention to the environmental and social challenges linked to the holiday, including food waste and food insecurity.
According to ReFED, a national nonprofit focused on food waste solutions, this year’s Thanksgiving is expected to generate 320 million pounds of wasted food in the United States. This discarded food represents about $550 million in groceries lost in just one day. The decomposition of this waste will release nearly 5,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.
Elizabeth Swiman, director of FSU’s Sustainable Campus program, highlighted the environmental impact that comes with preparing large holiday meals. “There are significant environmental impacts,” Swiman said. “This includes the amount of food waste in each step in the chain that it took for the food to land on the table and beyond, and the number of resources (land, water, energy) that went into growing and transporting that food. There are so many resources that it takes to dispose of the wasted food and the methane created from its decomposition that contributes to increased greenhouse gases.”
Swiman pointed out that careful planning can help reduce waste during Thanksgiving celebrations. She recommends considering guests’ preferences when preparing meals, shopping locally for produce, using vegetable scraps for soup stock or turkey bones for broth, sending leftovers home with guests in containers, setting tables with reusable place settings instead of disposables, and supporting local pantries before the holiday so more people can celebrate with a meal.
The problem of excess holiday waste is closely tied to ongoing issues of hunger. ReFED estimates that discarded Thanksgiving food could have provided 267 million meals for people facing hunger. Globally, about 2.3 billion people experience some form of food insecurity.
Hal Gentile serves as assistant dean of basic needs within FSU’s Department of Student Support and Transitions and oversees the Food for Thought Pantry on campus. The pantry provides free groceries—including fresh produce and staples—to enrolled students who need assistance.
Gentile emphasized community involvement as key to addressing hunger: “Investing in your community, whether that be material, through advocacy or through service, is essential,” Gentile said. “Donating money, non-perishable food, gift cards, produce you have grown, or your time can be direct and immediate interventions. If you know there is a particular community or constituency you are aiming to serve, I always recommend seeing what is already being done and asking the folks who are impacted and who have been doing the work what best meets their localized needs.”
She also offered practical advice for families dealing with leftovers after Thanksgiving: avoid overpreparing by reviewing recipes ahead of time; send guests home with extra servings; share meals with neighbors who may not have access to cooked foods; connect with mutual aid organizations serving hot meals; compost appropriate scraps; donate unused sealed products to local pantries; and use turkey bones for broth.
On campus at FSU, efforts extend beyond distributing groceries. The Food for Thought Pantry organizes mobile distributions several times each semester—often coordinated with nutrition education—and collaborates with University Health Services by providing emergency bags for students experiencing acute need. Additional support includes SNAP assistance and meal swipe distribution programs aimed at alleviating financial instability among students.
Gentile noted strong student volunteer participation at FSU thanks to partnerships across campus but recognized challenges faced by other communities lacking similar support networks: “Not every community has the same exact gaps to fill, and we are strongest when we build together and learn from each other.”
Media inquiries regarding sustainability initiatives can be directed to Elizabeth Swiman at eswiman@fsu.edu; questions about combating student hunger can go to Hal Gentile at hgentile@fsu.edu.
