Most refrigerated food in the US gets thrown out before even going bad, according to a daunting new survey published in the journal Resources, Conservation, & Recycling.

According to the new survey, American homes need to make more of an effort to create a framework or process for food consumption. The report calls on people to reduce food wastage, as US households waste a significant amount of the food that makes it into the fridge. According to the report and many financial experts, it’s important to organize your fridge and your grocery shopping habits to avoid waste while saving yourself the wasted money. The survey looked at American households and their fridge inventories. The survey came to the conclusion that there’s a clear relationship between planning and waste, so they surveyed households for relationships between “food-related routines and important considerations in the food discarding decision process.”

The survey found that participants expect to eat 97% of the meat they purchase, but they only end up eating about half. From here, the results only go downhill. The average American also expects to eat 94% of the vegetables they purchased, but they only end up eating about 44%. When it comes to fruit and dairy, Americans eat 40% and 42% of what they put in the fridge, respectively. The study’s authors also came to the conclusion that many Americans don’t truly understand the meaning of ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ labels. This may be part of the reason why the study also found that those who empty their fridges more often also waste more food.