Don't throw food Away

_Zardoz_
_Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
There is one thing I really hate when people start throwing out food because they are on a 'Diet'. There are people in this world who have no food who struggle to feed their families. if you don't want the food donate it it to your local food bank. Give it to your neighbours. Donate it to the local homeless shelter anything but throw it out. People will have worked hard to produce that food animals may have died to produce that food so please don't throw it out because there is just no excuse to while we still have people who are hungry and struggling to feed themselves throwing food out needlessly is just selfish.

Replies

  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    :drinker: it makes me sad when I read about people throwing cookies away when so many people (i.e. me) would gladly eat them.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    What percentage of food that is thrown out could legitimately be donated (is unopened, unspoiled, and non-perishable)?

    Probably a small percent. Who's throwing out a bunch of canned goods?
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Junk food is poison. What 4 U poison the poor?
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I agree with this completely!!

    If you MUST rid your home of certain foods for whatever reason, I'd say donate everything you can and if you have perishables or opened stuff, ask your friends and family if they want some of it. I mean obviously not the 1/3 container of milk. But within reason.
  • BonworthVonFattyPants
    BonworthVonFattyPants Posts: 49 Member
    Maybe I live in the wrong (right?) place ... but is this really a problem? People throwing out unopened non-perishable food? I've never seen it but then I don't go digging through my neighbor's trash either.
  • karinajean2388
    karinajean2388 Posts: 162 Member
    Yeah, I hate food going to waste. It drives me crazy on diet shows when the homes get purged of "bad" foods.
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
    I just eat it all at once, so I can start my diet on Monday.
  • ValeriePlz
    ValeriePlz Posts: 517 Member
    I know people who refuse to eat leftovers of any kind, so they just throw away whatever they don't eat from their meal (whether it is home cooked or eating out). It makes me see red.
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    I literally just made a thread about this over in the 'food and nutrition' tab! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1304654-food-waste

    Food waste is a MAJOR problem, and dieting is no excuse.

    The important bit:

    "In the industrilized world, there is 40% food waste. 2/3rds of that waste is from farm to your shopping bag. That means, that for every pound of food you buy, there has already been wasted more than 1.6lbs for that food to make it to you. And then, on average, you throw out 20lbs/month - that means you don't only waste those 20lbs: To produce those 20lbs for you, 32lbs was wasted in the industry, and now it was all in vain.

    And it's not just food that gets wasted in this way.

    10% of the engergy budget, 50% of the land, and 80% of freshwater in the US is used on food, which means, that 4% of the energy budget, 20% of the land, and 32% of the freshwater is used on food that get's thrown out.. "

    So yes, I strongly encourage people to stop being wasteful with food in the name of dieting!
    First of all suggest that people plan their food a lot better! A lot of us here on MFP like to prelog anyways, so you can use this tool to ensure that you include perishable foods into your diet over the next few days, as well as measuring out how big a portion you should make. And if you do end up with left overs, make sure to store them properly, and eat them the next day.
    Another good tip is to not be picky with what ingredients to include: If a recipe calls for specific veggies, throw in the veggies you have instead of buying new all the time - instead of buying the exact combination of spices, take a look at your shelf. And when thinking of what to cook, look in your cabinets and fridge, rather than just think of something while at the store.

    We really need to be smarter with our food. Then we could probably solve both the food waste crisis AND obesity! :)
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
    It's not people on diets that throw away that much food but companies. Grocery stores. Some of them would rather throw it away than give it to their employees.
  • newsize56
    newsize56 Posts: 16 Member
    I totally agree with you
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    It's not people on diets that throw away that much food but companies. Grocery stores. Some of them would rather throw it away than give it to their employees.

    Most of it is thrown out in retail, yes.

    Worth a thought next time you see shops brag about how fresh their produce/milk/bread is. Some of them sell the veggies to discount shops for the next day, but most of it gets thrown out after only a day in the shop.

    But the household do throw out a whole lot too. And since that's something we have direct influence on, that's a good place to start!

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