Food distribution connects households, retailers, and logistics providers—shaping who gets access to affordable groceries and how reliably shelves stay stocked. The industry’s performance is influenced by demand, labor, cold storage, warehousing, and third-party logistics networks. It’s also affected by operational pressures like food loss and waste, stockouts from inaccurate forecasts, and retailer shrink. Explore the numbers behind today’s food distribution market, workforce, and consumer expectations for transparency.
Key Takeaways
- 137.5 million people in the U.S. received SNAP benefits in 2022 (measured as the number of individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
- Food-related retail sales in the U.S. increased 2.2% in 2023 (measured as year-over-year growth in food retail sales)
- U.S. grocery store sales were $862.3 billion in 2023 (measured as annual grocery store sales)
- 6.4 billion metric tons of food were lost and wasted globally in 2019 (measured as total food loss and waste)
- 27% of U.S. food waste occurs at the supply chain level (measured as the share of food waste attributed to manufacturing, retail, and other stages)
- 13.2% of global food was lost or wasted in the retail/distribution chain in 2019 (measured as share of food loss and waste by stage for retail/distribution)
- The U.S. cold storage market was valued at $84.5 billion in 2023 (measured as market value)
- The U.S. 3PL market size was $1.2 trillion in 2023 (measured as total third-party logistics market revenue in the U.S.)
- The global 3PL market was $1.3 trillion in 2023 (measured as total third-party logistics market size)
- 8.7% of U.S. adults were employed in food-related jobs in 2022 (measured as share of workforce in food-related occupations)
- Food and beverage companies reported average out-of-stock rates of 8.3% in 2023 (measured as percentage of SKUs out of stock)
- In 2023, 74% of grocery retailers prioritized improving supply chain visibility (measured as share of respondents in survey)
- In 2023, the CPI for food at home increased 4.2% year over year (measured as annual percent change)
- U.S. diesel fuel prices averaged $3.99 per gallon in 2023 (measured as annual average diesel price)
- U.S. gasoline prices averaged $3.48 per gallon in 2023 (measured as annual average gasoline price)
In 2023, U.S. food retail grew while supply chain challenges persisted, highlighting the need for visibility.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size10 stats
01
The U.S. cold storage market was valued at $84.5 billion in 2023 (measured as market value)
02
The U.S. 3PL market size was $1.2 trillion in 2023 (measured as total third-party logistics market revenue in the U.S.)
03
The global 3PL market was $1.3 trillion in 2023 (measured as total third-party logistics market size)
04
The global food retail market reached $6.2 trillion in 2023 (measured as global food retail revenue)
05
US$1.02 billion: value of the U.S. grocery delivery services market in 2023 (measured as market value)
06
US$309.2 billion: value of the global grocery store market in 2023 (measured as market size)
07
US$93.7 billion: U.S. cold storage market revenue in 2024 (measured as market size)
08
US$25.2 billion: global warehouse management system market size in 2023 (measured as market value)
09
US$6.2 billion: estimated value of the global food traceability market in 2023 (measured as market size)
10
US$30.2 billion: U.S. food logistics market size in 2023 (measured as market size)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size perspective, the food distribution ecosystem is being shaped by massive adjacent logistics and retail volumes, with the U.S. cold storage market at $84.5 billion in 2023 and the global 3PL market reaching $1.3 trillion, while global food retail tallied $6.2 trillion and the global grocery store market stood at $309.2 billion in 2023.
02 · Category
Food Waste & Loss12 stats
01
6.4 billion metric tons of food were lost and wasted globally in 2019 (measured as total food loss and waste)
02
27% of U.S. food waste occurs at the supply chain level (measured as the share of food waste attributed to manufacturing, retail, and other stages)
03
13.2% of global food was lost or wasted in the retail/distribution chain in 2019 (measured as share of food loss and waste by stage for retail/distribution)
04
1.1 billion tonnes of food were wasted in retail and consumer phases globally in 2019 (measured as food waste in retail and consumer phases)
05
62% of food waste in the U.S. is associated with the first phase of the supply chain (measured as share attributed to manufacturing, processing, and distribution)
06
42% of food waste in the U.S. occurs at the consumer level (measured as consumer share of food waste)
07
27% of U.S. food waste occurs at the supply chain level (share of food waste attributed to manufacturing, retail, and other stages) in 2019
08
42% of U.S. food waste occurs at the consumer level in 2019
09
13.2% of global food loss and waste occurs in the retail/distribution chain in 2019
10
62% of U.S. food waste is associated with the first phase of the supply chain in 2019
11
13.2% of global food is lost or wasted in retail/distribution in 2019
12
27% of U.S. food waste occurs at the supply chain level in 2019
Interpretation
Food Waste & Loss Interpretation
In the Food Waste & Loss category, the data show that food loss and waste are heavily concentrated in supply chain and retail and consumer stages, with 13.2% of global loss and waste happening in the retail and distribution chain in 2019 and the United States seeing 27% occur at the supply chain level while 42% occurs at the consumer level.
report visual · Comparison
Where U.S. food waste happens (2019)
In the U.S. in 2019, consumer-level waste is the dominant share at 42%, leading the supply chain share at 27% by a gap of 15 percentage points.
42% of U.S. food waste occurs at the consumer level in 201942%
27% of U.S. food waste occurs at the supply chain level (share of food waste attributed to manufacturing, retail, and ot27%
13.2% of global food loss and waste occurs in the retail/distribution chain in 201913.2%
source-verifiedourworldindata.org2019
03 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
In 2023, the CPI for food at home increased 4.2% year over year (measured as annual percent change)
02
U.S. diesel fuel prices averaged $3.99per gallon in 2023 (measured as annual average diesel price)
03
U.S. gasoline prices averaged $3.48per gallon in 2023 (measured as annual average gasoline price)
04
10.2% of the value of U.S. food sales was lost to retail shrink in 2022 (measured as retail shrink as percentage of sales)
05
US$1.21 trillion: U.S. food waste cost estimate in 2019 (measured as annual cost to the economy of food loss/waste)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost pressures in the food distribution industry were clearly mounting as 2023’s food-at-home CPI rose 4.2% year over year alongside higher energy inputs with diesel at $3.99 per gallon and gasoline at $3.48, while additional losses from 10.2% retail shrink in 2022 and an estimated $1.21 trillion in food waste costs in 2019 further strained costs across the supply chain.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
8.7% of U.S. adults were employed in food-related jobs in 2022 (measured as share of workforce in food-related occupations)
02
Food and beverage companies reported average out-of-stock rates of 8.3% in 2023 (measured as percentage of SKUs out of stock)
03
In 2023, 74% of grocery retailers prioritized improving supply chain visibility (measured as share of respondents in survey)
04
The U.S. industrial (warehouse) rent growth was 4.2% year over year in Q1 2024 (measured as YoY asking rent change)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across the Food Distribution industry, supply chain pressure is translating into measurable action, with 74% of grocery retailers prioritizing better supply chain visibility in 2023 and out of stock rates averaging 8.3% even as warehouse rent rose 4.2% year over year in Q1 2024.
05 · Category
Demand & Volume3 stats
01
137.5 million people in the U.S. received SNAP benefits in 2022 (measured as the number of individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
02
Food-related retail sales in the U.S. increased 2.2% in 2023 (measured as year-over-year growth in food retail sales)
03
U.S. grocery store sales were $862.3 billion in 2023 (measured as annual grocery store sales)
Interpretation
Demand & Volume Interpretation
Demand for food is broad and still rising, with 137.5 million people receiving SNAP benefits in 2022 while U.S. food retail sales grew 2.2% in 2023 and reached $862.3 billion in grocery store sales.
06 · Category
Industry Overview8 stats
01
U.S. warehouse employment was 1.8 million in Q2 2024 (measured as number of workers employed in warehousing and storage)
02
U.S. trucking employment was 1.7 million in 2023 (measured as employment in truck transportation)
03
In 2023, there were 3.1 million truck drivers employed in the U.S. (measured as employment level)
04
71% of consumers said transparency about sourcing and production is important (measured as survey share of consumers prioritizing transparency)
05
60% of supply chain professionals expect greater use of real-time inventory visibility tools in the next 12 months (measured as survey share)
06
1.7 million: workers employed in truck transportation in the U.S. in 2023 (measured as employment level)
07
3.1 million: truck drivers employed in the U.S. in 2023 (measured as employment level)
08
3.1x more likely to experience stockouts when forecasts are inaccurate (measured as increased stockout risk under forecast inaccuracy scenarios in a controlled study of retail inventory planning)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
For the Food Distribution industry, employment remains massive with 1.8 million warehouse workers in Q2 2024 and about 1.7 million truck transportation jobs in 2023 while consumers increasingly demand transparency, and supply chain professionals expect real-time inventory visibility tools to expand rapidly, with 60% anticipating greater use in the next 12 months.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Food Distribution Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-distribution-industry-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Food Distribution Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/food-distribution-industry-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Food Distribution Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-distribution-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
37 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)