WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD-TV) — Americans continued shifting more food dollars toward meals away from home in 2025, with restaurant spending growing faster than grocery purchases, according to USDA’s latest Food Expenditure Series.
USDA Economic Research Service data show food-away-from-home spending reached about $1.41 trillion, up 4.8% from 2024. Food-at-home expenditures rose 2.8% to nearly $1.10 trillion. Combined food spending totaled about $2.51 trillion.
Food away from home accounted for roughly 56% of combined spending. Full-service restaurant spending increased nearly 7.9% to about $488 billion, while limited-service restaurants rose 3.3% to about $516 billion.
Grocery-store food sales increased about 3.3% to roughly $617 billion. The figures are nominal expenditures, meaning the totals reflect both changes in prices and the amount consumers purchased.
Where consumers spend food dollars can influence demand throughout the agricultural supply chain, particularly for meat, dairy, produce and other products heavily used by restaurants and foodservice businesses.
