Strategies for reducing food waste and developing sustainable diets require information about the impacts of
consumption behavior and waste generation on climatic, water, and land resources.We quantified the carbon,
water, and ecological footprints of 17,110 family members of Chinese households, covering 1935 types of
foods, by combining survey datawith available life-cycle assessment data sets.We also summarized the patterns
of both food consumption and waste generation and analyzed the factors influencing the observed trends. The
average person wasted (consumed) 16 (415) kg of food at home annually, equivalent to 40 (1080) kg CO2e, 18
(673) m3, and 173 (4956) gm2 for the carbon, water and ecological footprints, respectively. The generation of
food waste was highly correlated with consumption for various food groups. For example, vegetables, rice, and
wheat were consumed the most and accounted for the most waste. In addition to the three plant-derived food
groups, pork and aquatic products also contributed greatly to embedded footprints. The data obtained in this
study could be used for assessing national food security or the carrying capacity of resources.