Introduction
“The numbers say I should be profitable, so why am I always short on food budget?”
The answer is usually trim loss (also called yield loss or waste percentage).
When you buy 2 lbs of onions, you only use about 1.8 lbs after peeling. If you don’t account for that 10%, your food cost is completely wrong.
What Is Trim Loss?
Trim Loss = The portion of raw ingredients that gets discarded
Usable Yield = Purchase Weight × (1 - Trim Loss %)Example: 2 lbs of onions with 10% trim loss:
Usable Yield = 32 oz × 0.9 = 28.8 ozWhy Trim Loss Matters
With vs. Without Yield Adjustment
Example: 2 lbs of salmon = $28
Ignoring Trim Loss (❌ Wrong)
Unit Cost = $28 ÷ 32 oz = $0.875/oz
8 oz salmon portion = $0.875 × 8 = $7.00Accounting for Trim Loss (✅ Correct)
Salmon trim loss ~40% (bones, skin, head removed)
Usable Yield = 32 oz × 0.6 = 19.2 oz
Unit Cost = $28 ÷ 19.2 oz = $1.46/oz
8 oz salmon portion = $1.46 × 8 = $11.68Difference: $4.68 per portion!
Sell 20 portions a day? That’s $93/day or $2,800/month in untracked costs.
Trim Loss Reference Guide
Vegetables
| Ingredient | Trim Loss | What’s Lost |
|---|---|---|
| Onions | 10% | Skin, root end |
| Garlic | 15% | Skin, core |
| Leeks | 25% | Root, tough green tops |
| Carrots | 15% | Peel, tops |
| Cabbage | 20% | Outer leaves, core |
| Broccoli | 40% | Most of stem |
| Asparagus | 30% | Woody ends |
Meat & Poultry
| Ingredient | Trim Loss | What’s Lost |
|---|---|---|
| Pork Belly | 5–10% | Fat trim |
| Beef Tenderloin | 15–20% | Fat, silverskin |
| Ribeye | 10–15% | Fat cap |
| Whole Chicken → Boneless | 35–40% | Bones, skin |
| Chicken Breast | 5–10% | Fat, tendons |
Seafood
| Ingredient | Trim Loss | What’s Lost |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Fish → Fillet | 40–50% | Head, bones, guts |
| Salmon | 35–40% | Skin, bones |
| Shell-on Shrimp | 40–45% | Shell, head |
| Peeled Shrimp | 10–15% | Tail, vein |
| Squid | 25–30% | Guts, beak, skin |
| Clams/Mussels | 60–70% | Shells |
Fruits
| Ingredient | Trim Loss | What’s Lost |
|---|---|---|
| Bananas | 30% | Peel |
| Oranges | 35% | Peel |
| Watermelon | 45% | Rind, seeds |
| Cantaloupe | 40% | Rind, seeds |
| Pineapple | 50% | Skin, core |
| Strawberries | 5–10% | Tops, bruised parts |
| Apples | 10–15% | Peel, core |
How Trim Loss Affects Your Bottom Line
Same Purchase Price, Different Real Cost
If you spend $10 on ingredients, here’s your actual cost per usable amount:
| Trim Loss | Effective Cost | Extra Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | $10.00 | $0.00 |
| 10% | $11.11 | +$1.11 |
| 20% | $12.50 | +$2.50 |
| 30% | $14.29 | +$4.29 |
| 40% | $16.67 | +$6.67 |
| 50% | $20.00 | +$10.00 |
40% trim loss = 1.67× the apparent cost!
Real Example: Chicken Cutlet Costing
Ingredient List
| Ingredient | Purchase | Price | Trim Loss | Usable | True Unit Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Breast | 2 lbs | $8.00 | 10% | 28.8 oz | $0.28/oz |
| Cabbage | 2 lbs | $2.00 | 20% | 25.6 oz | $0.08/oz |
| Flour | 2 lbs | $1.50 | 0% | 32 oz | $0.05/oz |
| Eggs | 12 ct | $4.00 | 10% | 10.8 eggs | $0.37/egg |
| Breadcrumbs | 1 lb | $3.00 | 5% | 15.2 oz | $0.20/oz |
Per-Portion Cost (With Trim Loss)
| Item | Amount | Yield-Adjusted Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Breast | 6 oz | $1.68 |
| Cabbage | 3 oz | $0.24 |
| Flour | 1 oz | $0.05 |
| Egg | 1 | $0.37 |
| Breadcrumbs | 1.5 oz | $0.30 |
| Total | $2.64 |
Without Trim Loss Adjustment
| Item | Amount | Unadjusted Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Breast | 6 oz | $1.50 |
| Cabbage | 3 oz | $0.19 |
| Flour | 1 oz | $0.05 |
| Egg | 1 | $0.33 |
| Breadcrumbs | 1.5 oz | $0.28 |
| Total | $2.35 |
Difference: $0.29 (12% underestimate)
At 50 orders/day, that’s $14.50/day or $435/month in hidden costs.
Managing Trim Loss
1. Measure Your Own Yield
Direct measurement is the most accurate:
Trim Loss % = (Purchase Weight - Usable Weight) ÷ Purchase Weight × 100Buy 2 lbs of onions → peel and trim → 1.8 lbs usable
Trim Loss = (32 - 28.8) ÷ 32 × 100 = 10%2. Ways to Reduce Waste
| Method | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Buy pre-prepped ingredients | Near-zero trim loss |
| Use trim for stock/sauces | Turn waste into value |
| Right-size your orders | Less spoilage |
| First-In-First-Out (FIFO) | Use older stock first |
3. Strategies for High-Loss Ingredients
- Buy pre-processed: Shell-on shrimp → peeled shrimp, whole chicken → breast
- Create utilization recipes: Chicken bones → stock, veggie trim → broth
- Price accordingly: Higher-loss items need higher margins
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: “It’s all about the same”
“How much could onion trim really matter?”
Reality: Onions 10%, leeks 25%, broccoli 40%—every ingredient is different.
Mistake 2: “I calculated it once, I’m done”
Trim loss varies by supplier, season, and cook. Re-measure quarterly.
Mistake 3: “Ignoring cooking loss”
Take sautéed onions as an example:
- Peeling: 10% loss → 32 oz → 28.8 oz
- Cooking (moisture loss): ~30% → 28.8 oz → 20 oz
From 2 lbs raw, you end up with 20 oz usable (37% total loss). Factor in cooking shrinkage for accurate costs.
Key Takeaways
- Trim Loss = Percentage of raw ingredients discarded
- Fish, fruit, and vegetables commonly have 30–50% trim loss
- Ignoring trim loss means underestimating costs by 15–40%
- That translates to hundreds or thousands of dollars in monthly losses
- Direct measurement is most accurate—re-check every quarter
Build trim loss percentages directly into your recipe costs so you never underestimate again. Try KitchenCost — free to start.
Related Guides
- Food Cost Ratio Guide — How trim loss impacts your overall food cost percentage
- Semi-Finished Product Guide — Turn trim and waste into prep items that reduce loss
- Inventory Management Guide — FIFO and storage practices to minimize spoilage
- Cost Reduction Guide — Broader strategies for cutting costs beyond waste
- Seasonal Ingredient Cost Guide — How seasonality affects trim loss rates