Restaurant food cost and food waste statistics
Global figures, the GCC, cost benchmarks, and the food safety regulators: 44 figures, each linked to the publisher that produced it. Last updated: 25 September 2026.
This page collects the figures a restaurant owner, a journalist, or a student asks for when food cost or food waste comes up: how much food the world and the GCC throw away, what a kitchen typically spends on food and labor, and who regulates food safety in Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Global figures are labelled global; country figures are labelled by country.
Every figure below links to its original source. AKLI does not publish its own customer benchmarks.
Last updated: 25 September 2026. Sources accessed 25 September 2026.
Key statistics at a glance
1.05 billion tonnes
GlobalIn 2022 there were 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated, including inedible parts, across retail, food service, and households.
60 / 28 / 12
GlobalOf the food wasted in 2022, 60 per cent happened at household level, food services were responsible for 28 per cent, and retail for 12 per cent.
32.0%
USFood and non-alcohol beverage costs among US full-service restaurants were a median of 32.0% of sales in 2024; among limited-service respondents, 32.4%.
more than 33%
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture said in 2020 that more than 33% of food is wasted, costing SR40 billion a year; a Saudi Grains Organization field study cited by the ministry found that each individual wastes 184 kg a year.
nearly 40%
UAEne'ma states that nearly 40% of food is wasted in the UAE, at a cost of AED 6 billion every year.
7:1
GlobalAcross 114 restaurant sites in 12 countries, the average restaurant saved USD 7 for every USD 1 invested in reducing kitchen food waste, and reduced kitchen food waste by 26 percent on average over 12 months.
34,700 inspections
UAEDubai Municipality conducted 34,700 inspection visits across food establishments in the first half of 2025, a period in which approximately 2,336 new food establishments opened.
Global food waste
UNEP’s Food Waste Index measures waste at retail, food service, and household level; FAO’s Food Loss Index measures loss from harvest up to, but excluding, retail. The two are not added together here.
- 1.05 billion tonnesGlobal
- In 2022 there were 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated, including inedible parts, across retail, food service, and households.
Source: UNEP. Press release: World squanders over 1 billion meals a day – UN report (2024)
- 60 / 28 / 12Global
- Of the food wasted in 2022, 60 per cent happened at household level, food services were responsible for 28 per cent, and retail for 12 per cent.
Source: UNEP. Press release: World squanders over 1 billion meals a day – UN report (2024)
- 290 million tonnesGlobal
- UNEP estimates food service generated 290 million tonnes of food waste in 2022, or 36 kilograms per capita per year (Table 1 of the report).
Source: UNEP. Food Waste Index Report 2024 (full report, Table 1 and Annex) (2024)
- 8–10%Global
- Food loss and waste generates 8–10 per cent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.The press release gives this as “according to recent data”; the full Food Waste Index Report 2024 attributes the estimate to FAO (2013).
Source: UNEP. Press release: World squanders over 1 billion meals a day – UN report (2024)
- USD 1 trillionGlobal
- The toll of food loss and waste on the global economy is estimated at roughly USD 1 trillion a year.
Source: UNEP. Press release: World squanders over 1 billion meals a day – UN report (2024)
- 13.3%Global
- FAO estimates 13.3 per cent of food was lost globally after harvest and before retail in 2023, up slightly from 13.0 per cent in 2015 when monitoring began.
Source: FAO. SDG Indicators Data Portal – Indicator 12.3.1 Global food losses (2026)
- SDG 12.3Global
- The UN target: by 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
Source: United Nations. Sustainable Development Goal 12 – Targets and indicators (2015)
Food waste in the GCC
Official national figures exist for the UAE and Saudi Arabia. For Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait the only figures are UNEP estimates, shown with UNEP’s own confidence level.
United Arab Emirates
- nearly 40%UAE
- ne'ma states that nearly 40% of food is wasted in the UAE, at a cost of AED 6 billion every year.
- 38%UAE
- ne'ma's report on its first national household food waste survey (6,083 residents, 2023) states that 38% of food prepared in the UAE is thrown away.This is a background figure quoted in the report, not a survey result; the households surveyed self-reported much lower waste (for example 7–10% of bread and bakery items).
- 50% by 2030UAE
- ne'ma's stated target is to cut food loss and waste in the UAE by half by 2030.
Source: ne'ma. About ne’ma (2026)
- 99 kg per capitaUAE
- UNEP estimates UAE household food waste at 99 kg per capita per year (930,427 tonnes), rated low confidence.A low-confidence UNEP figure is an extrapolation from regional data, not a national measurement.
Source: UNEP. Food Waste Index Report 2024 (full report, Table 1 and Annex) (2024)
Saudi Arabia
Two Saudi per-person figures circulate and they measure different things: the 184 kg reported by the ministry comes from a Saudi Grains Organization study of 19 food commodities, while UNEP’s 105 kg is household waste only. They are shown separately below and should not be mixed.
- more than 33%Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture said in 2020 that more than 33% of food is wasted, costing SR40 billion a year; a Saudi Grains Organization field study cited by the ministry found that each individual wastes 184 kg a year.
- 33.1% → 27.9%Saudi Arabia
- The General Food Security Authority announced in September 2025 that Saudi Arabia reduced food loss and waste from 33.1% to 27.9%, a 16% decrease from the 2019 baseline; the food loss rate fell to 12.1% (from 14.2%) and the food waste rate to 15.8% (from 18.8%).
- 105 kg per capitaSaudi Arabia
- UNEP rates Saudi household food waste at 105 kg per capita per year (3,818,681 tonnes), high confidence, based on the 2019 national baseline.
Source: UNEP. Food Waste Index Report 2024 (full report, Table 1 and Annex) (2024)
Qatar
- 93 kg per capitaQatar
- UNEP estimates Qatar household food waste at 93 kg per capita per year (250,830 tonnes), high confidence, from a study of 437 households including Ramadan.No official Qatari national food-waste figure could be found when this page was checked.
Source: UNEP. Food Waste Index Report 2024 (full report, Table 1 and Annex) (2024)
Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait
No official national food-waste measurement could be verified for Bahrain, Oman, or Kuwait when this page was checked. UNEP lists Oman and Kuwait at 99 kg per capita per year at low confidence, which is an extrapolation from regional averages rather than a measurement, so those two are not presented as country figures here. Bahrain’s UNEP estimate is medium confidence and is shown with that caveat.
- 132 kg per capitaBahrain
- UNEP estimates Bahrain household food waste at 132 kg per capita per year (193,612 tonnes), medium confidence.UNEP traces this to a 2018 national press figure; no official Bahraini measurement could be verified.
Source: UNEP. Food Waste Index Report 2024 (full report, Table 1 and Annex) (2024)
West Asia (wider region, not GCC-only)
- around 34%West Asia
- UNEP West Asia’s State of Food Waste report (2021) says around 34% of the food served in the region is wasted, household food waste runs at 100 to 150 kg per capita, and between 25% and 50% of the food prepared during Ramadan is wasted.
Restaurant food cost benchmarks
Published operating ratios from industry bodies and national statistics offices. They are medians and averages for the country named, not targets, and no GCC industry body publishes an equivalent series.
- 32.0%US
- Food and non-alcohol beverage costs among US full-service restaurants were a median of 32.0% of sales in 2024; among limited-service respondents, 32.4%.2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract, more than 900 operators.
- 33–34%US
- In the National Restaurant Association’s 2010, 2013 and 2016 reports, food and non-alcohol beverage costs were approximately 33% of sales for limited-service and an average of 34% for full-service respondents.
- 31.0% vs 33.7%US
- Full-service restaurants with sales of USD 2 million or more reported a median food cost of 31.0% of sales in 2024; those under USD 2 million, 33.7%.
- 36.5%US
- Salaries and wages including benefits were a median of 36.5% of sales for US full-service restaurants in 2024, and 31.7% for limited-service.
- 65 centsUS
- Prime costs (food, beverage, and labor) were a median of 65 cents of every sales dollar in the US limited-service segment in 2024.
Source: National Restaurant Association. Press release: 2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract (2025)
- 2.8% / 4.0%US
- Income before taxes was a median of 2.8% of sales for US full-service respondents in 2024 and 4.0% for limited-service.
- ≈ 33 cents eachUS
- Food and labor are the two largest line items for a US restaurant, each accounting for approximately 33 cents of every dollar in sales, leaving a pre-tax profit margin of roughly 5% for a typical restaurant.
Source: National Restaurant Association. Bottom line impact of rising costs for restaurants (2022)
- 42%US
- 42% of US operators said their restaurant was not profitable in 2025.
Source: National Restaurant Association. Elevated costs continue to pressure restaurant profitability (2026)
- 35.9%Canada
- In Canadian food services and drinking places, cost of goods sold was the largest operating expense in 2024 at 35.9% of total expenses; the operating profit margin was 4.1%, up from 3.6% in 2023.
Source: Statistics Canada. The Daily: Food services and drinking places, annual, 2024 (2026)
To turn a target percentage into a price, use the menu price calculator; to compute your own actual percentage from counts and purchases, the food cost calculator. See how AKLI tracks food cost.
Inventory, variance, portions and theft
What food service throws away, what it costs per tonne and per meal, and the peer-reviewed evidence on portions and theft. The gap between theoretical and actual food cost is where these figures land in a kitchen’s P&L.
- 920,000 tonnesUK
- WRAP’s 2013 overview found 920,000 tonnes of food wasted at UK hospitality and food service outlets each year, 75% of which was avoidable and could have been eaten.
Source: WRAP. Overview of Waste in the UK Hospitality and Food Service Sector (2013)
- over 20%UK
- In UK restaurants, pubs, services, and leisure, food waste was over 20% of the weight of food purchased, around one in five meals.
Source: WRAP. Overview of Waste in the UK Hospitality and Food Service Sector (2013)
- £3,500 per tonneUK
- WRAP put the cost of food waste to UK restaurants at £3,500 per tonne in 2011, or £0.97 per meal; across the whole UK hospitality and food service sector, food purchases and labor made up over 90% of the cost of food waste.
Source: WRAP. Overview of Waste in the UK Hospitality and Food Service Sector (2013)
- 1.1 million tonnesUK
- WRAP said in 2024 that the UK hospitality and food service sector throws away 1.1 million tonnes of food every year; 75% of this food could have been eaten, costing businesses and organisations £3.2 billion.
- USD 157 billionUS
- US foodservice generated 12.5 million tons of surplus food in 2024, 17.7% of the national total, valued at USD 157 billion, equivalent to 14% of foodservice sales.
Source: ReFED. Fact sheet: Food waste by sector – Foodservice (2024 data) (2025)
- 70%US
- ReFED attributes 70% of waste at the US foodservice level to plate waste from customers who do not eat all they are served.
- 7:1Global
- Across 114 restaurant sites in 12 countries, the average restaurant saved USD 7 for every USD 1 invested in reducing kitchen food waste, and reduced kitchen food waste by 26 percent on average over 12 months.
- 2 to 4 timesUS
- In a survey of 300 chefs, 76% thought they served “regular” portions, while the steak and pasta portions they reported were 2 to 4 times larger than US government recommended serving sizes.Peer-reviewed; a US sample.
Source: Obesity (peer-reviewed journal), Condrasky et al. Chefs' opinions of restaurant portion sizes (2007)
- over 50%US
- In surveys of coastal South Carolina hospitality businesses (2000 and 2005), over 50 per cent reported one or more incidents of employee theft, and the dollar value of thefts more than doubled between the two surveys.Peer-reviewed; a regional sample, not a national rate.
No reputable source gives a single share of restaurant inventory lost to theft or over-portioning; the widely repeated “75% of shrinkage is internal theft” could not be traced to a primary publication and is not used here. Value your own waste with the food waste cost calculator, and read how logged waste relates to variance in waste and variance.
Food safety and HACCP in the GCC
Who regulates restaurant food safety in the GCC, where HACCP is written into the rules, and the inspection figures the authorities themselves publish.
Qatar: the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) Food Safety Department, with the Ministry of Municipality inspecting food establishments. United Arab Emirates: Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 at federal level, with Dubai Municipality’s Food Safety Department and the Dubai Food Code in Dubai, and the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority in Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia: the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing for food establishments. No authority publishes a compliance rate for restaurants as a single number; the figures below are what has been released.
- Sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.3UAE
- The Dubai Food Code requires all food establishments to implement and maintain a Dubai Municipality approved food safety programme, defined as a food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP, and to employ at least one full-time, on-site Person in Charge certified in food safety.
- 34,700 inspectionsUAE
- Dubai Municipality conducted 34,700 inspection visits across food establishments in the first half of 2025, a period in which approximately 2,336 new food establishments opened.
- Federal Law No. 10 of 2015UAE
- UAE Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 on food safety imposes standards and regulations for the safety and quality of food; the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment works with its partners on implementing it.
Source: UAE Government portal (u.ae). Food safety (Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 on Food Safety) (2015)
- 1,284 establishmentsQatar
- Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health launched a six-grade Food Safety Rating Programme, from “Urgent Improvement Necessary” to “Excellent”; as of 16 February 2025, 1,284 food establishments had been classified, each registered establishment undergoing at least three inspection visits.Newspaper report quoting the Director of the Food Safety Department.
- 85,284 toursQatar
- Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality carried out 85,284 health inspection tours of food establishments in the second quarter of 2025 and closed 27 violating food establishments.
- 29,000+ inspectionsSaudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipalities and Housing carried out more than 29,000 health and food safety inspections during the 1447 AH Hajj season (2026), testing over 5,000 food samples.
- Violations tableSaudi Arabia
- In August 2025 the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority launched an updated Food System Violations Table covering food establishments of various sizes, delivery personnel, and the food supply chain.
- Cloud kitchens includedSaudi Arabia
- The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing’s 2025 compliance requirements apply to restaurants, cafés, cloud kitchens handling online orders, and food kiosks in malls and markets.
Digital records that meet these programmes are described in digital HACCP. Software does not, by itself, make a kitchen compliant.
GCC VAT rates on restaurant sales
Standard VAT rates on restaurant sales, as of 25 September 2026, each linked to the authority that publishes it.
| Country | Standard rate | In force since | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 15%VAT was introduced on 1 January 2018 at 5% and raised to 15% from 1 July 2020. | 1 July 2020 | Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) |
| United Arab Emirates | 5%Standard rate of 5% since VAT was introduced on 1 January 2018. | 1 January 2018 | Federal Tax Authority (FTA) |
| Bahrain | 10%VAT was introduced on 1 January 2019 at 5% and raised to 10% from 1 January 2022. The NBR lists restaurants and cafés at the standard rate. | 1 January 2022 | National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) |
| Oman | 5%Standard rate of 5% under Royal Decree 121/2020. | 16 April 2021 | Oman Tax Authority |
| Qatar | No VAT in forceNo VAT in force. The GTA lists income, withholding, capital gains, excise, and global minimum tax only. | n/a | General Tax Authority (GTA) |
| Kuwait | No VAT in forceNo VAT in force and no implementation date published. | n/a | Ministry of Finance |
Rates as of 25 September 2026, checked on each authority’s site. Restaurant and café meals are not among the zero-rated or exempt supplies these authorities list; some basic foodstuffs sold as groceries are zero-rated and are outside this table.
Add or remove VAT on a menu price with the VAT calculator for menu prices.
Methodology
Sources were chosen in this order: United Nations bodies and FAO; government ministries, regulators, and official news agencies; national statistics offices; peer-reviewed journals; and major industry bodies that publish their survey base. Newspaper reports are used only where they quote a named official and the official page could not be opened, and they are labelled as such. Vendor marketing figures and competitor claims are not used.
Each figure is quoted as the source states it, with its unit and reference year. Nothing is rounded, converted between currencies, extrapolated, or combined into a new figure. Where a source gives a confidence level or a hedge (“estimated”, “around”, “more than”), it is kept. Global figures are labelled global; a US or UK benchmark is labelled US or UK and is not presented as a GCC figure. Every row on this page carries a data-source attribute with the URL that was opened on 25 September 2026.
Where a country has no reputable published figure (Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain at national level), the page says so rather than filling the gap. AKLI has no customer data on this page.
Cite this page
Quote the original publisher for any single figure. The links above go there. To credit this compilation, use the attribution or the link below.
Suggested attribution
Source: "Restaurant food cost and food waste statistics", AKLI, updated 25 September 2026, https://akli.io/restaurant-food-cost-statistics. Figures compiled from UNEP, FAO, ne'ma, MEWA, the National Restaurant Association, WRAP, ReFED and the regulators linked on the page.
HTML link
<a href="https://akli.io/restaurant-food-cost-statistics">Restaurant food cost and food waste statistics | AKLI</a>Frequently asked questions
How much food does the food service sector waste?
UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2024 attributes 28 per cent of the 1.05 billion tonnes of food wasted in 2022 to food service, about 290 million tonnes, or 36 kilograms per capita per year. These are global figures.
What is a typical restaurant food cost percentage?
The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract reports a median food and non-alcohol beverage cost of 32.0% of sales for US full-service restaurants and 32.4% for limited-service in 2024. Those are US medians, not targets, and no GCC industry body publishes an equivalent.
How much food is wasted in the GCC?
ne’ma reports nearly 40% of food wasted in the UAE at a cost of AED 6 billion a year. Saudi Arabia’s ministry put waste at more than 33% of food and SR40 billion a year in 2020, and the General Food Security Authority reported a fall in food loss and waste from 33.1% to 27.9% in 2025. For Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait only UNEP estimates exist, at varying confidence.
Is HACCP mandatory for restaurants in the GCC?
In Dubai, the Food Code requires every food establishment to run a Dubai Municipality approved food safety programme based on HACCP principles and to employ a certified Person in Charge. Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing regulate food establishments in their countries; check the authority’s current requirements for your licence type.
What VAT applies to restaurant meals in the GCC?
Saudi Arabia 15%, Bahrain 10%, the UAE 5%, and Oman 5%. Qatar and Kuwait have no VAT in force. The rates were checked on each tax authority’s site on the date shown in the table, and the VAT calculator uses the same list.
Does AKLI publish its own benchmarks?
No. AKLI does not publish customer results, and none of the figures on this page come from AKLI data. Every figure links to the publisher that produced it.
Facts you can quote
Price, pricing unit, product languages, and HACCP jurisdictions. Figures below are as of 22 September 2026.
- Price
- SAR 299 / QAR 290 / AED 293 / BHD 30 / OMR 31 per branch per month, excluding VAT. Details
- Pricing unit
- Priced per branch, not per user. Unlimited team members are included. Details
- Product languages
- The product interface supports English, French, and Arabic. You choose the language in the product. This marketing site is available in English, French, and Arabic. Details
- HACCP jurisdictions
- Digital HACCP logs are timestamped and built to be exported for inspections under Qatar Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), UAE Food Safety Department, and Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) requirements. The logs do not, by themselves, make a kitchen compliant. Details
- As of
- 22 September 2026
Want these numbers for your own branches?
AKLI computes food cost, waste at cost, and HACCP records per branch. Book a demo if that is useful; the page above stands on its own.