The Waste Watcher International Report has been expanded with a new feature, the Italy-USA Cross Country Report, which examines how much and why US and Italian residents waste. The picture from summer 2026 shows a still considerable gap: North American consumers waste an average of 775.7 grams of food per week, almost 300 grams more than Italians, who waste 493.7 grams. However, when we examine the US population vertically, we find that Italians are the most wasteful consumers in the United States, reporting more frequent waste episodes than the US average: 42% of Italians report throwing away food at least once a week, compared to 29% of the US population as a whole.
Yet, Italian-Americans attribute strong anti-waste values to Italian food culture: 87% of them believe that its practices help them better utilize ingredients and reduce waste, when compared to the American average of 81%. Italian food culture, therefore, places a high value on food and makes people immediately aware of what is being thrown away. Furthermore, in both Italy and the United States, families with children generate around 19% less garbage than the national average, but those without children generate more. In Italy, lower-income households are significantly above the average, whereas in the US they are slightly below it; urban living also appears to have different effects in the two countries. Prevention measures differ, with US consumers focusing more on food planning and management at home, whilst Italian customers focus on seasonality in purchasing.