Americans waste SOOO much food! It's appalling.
AliceNov2011
Posts: 471 Member
Somebody asked me today if I thought there was enough food in the world for everyone to eat fresh foods instead of processed.
Check this out: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/food-waste-americans-throw-away-food-study_n_1819340.html
Food Waste: Americans Throw Away Nearly Half Their Food, $165 Billion Annually, Study Says
Aug 21 (Reuters) - Americans throw away nearly half their food every year, waste worth roughly $165 billion annually, according to a study released on Tuesday.
"As a country, we're essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path. That's money and precious resources down the drain," said Dana Gunders, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council's food and agriculture program.
The NRDC report said Americans discard 40 percent of the food supply every year, and the average American family of four ends up throwing away an equivalent of up to $2,275 annually in food.
Just a 15 percent reduction in losses in the U.S. food supply would save enough to feed 25 million Americans annually. It also would lighten the burden on landfills, where food waste makes up the largest component of solid waste, according to the NRDC, a nonprofit environmental organization.
Particularly worrisome, the organization said, was evidence that there has been a 50 percent jump in U.S. food waste since the 1970s. Unsold fruits and vegetables in grocery stores account for a big part of the wasted food.
But consumers and restaurants are also to blame, preparing large portions that result in leftovers that often go uneaten.
The NRDC said it is asking for the U.S. government to study losses in the food system and set goals for waste reduction.
"No matter how sustainably our food is farmed, if it's not being eaten, it is not a good use of resources," said Gunders.
(Reporting by Carey Gillam; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Check this out: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/food-waste-americans-throw-away-food-study_n_1819340.html
Food Waste: Americans Throw Away Nearly Half Their Food, $165 Billion Annually, Study Says
Aug 21 (Reuters) - Americans throw away nearly half their food every year, waste worth roughly $165 billion annually, according to a study released on Tuesday.
"As a country, we're essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path. That's money and precious resources down the drain," said Dana Gunders, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council's food and agriculture program.
The NRDC report said Americans discard 40 percent of the food supply every year, and the average American family of four ends up throwing away an equivalent of up to $2,275 annually in food.
Just a 15 percent reduction in losses in the U.S. food supply would save enough to feed 25 million Americans annually. It also would lighten the burden on landfills, where food waste makes up the largest component of solid waste, according to the NRDC, a nonprofit environmental organization.
Particularly worrisome, the organization said, was evidence that there has been a 50 percent jump in U.S. food waste since the 1970s. Unsold fruits and vegetables in grocery stores account for a big part of the wasted food.
But consumers and restaurants are also to blame, preparing large portions that result in leftovers that often go uneaten.
The NRDC said it is asking for the U.S. government to study losses in the food system and set goals for waste reduction.
"No matter how sustainably our food is farmed, if it's not being eaten, it is not a good use of resources," said Gunders.
(Reporting by Carey Gillam; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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Replies
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Hmm. I think the reason people aren't buying the fresh veggies involves cost of the actual produce and most people are buying frozen or easy to prepare like canned. As for fruits, it's amazing but junk food is cheaper than the good stuff which could be driving this. As to a 50% waste, my question is where did they get those numbers? Do they have actual studies or something they looked at? It's easy to quote numbers.
Monica0 -
As to a 50% waste, my question is where did they get those numbers? Do they have actual studies or something they looked at? It's easy to quote numbers.
Monica
I take it you didn't read the article. Starting with the headline... it's a study by scientists produced by a well-known and reputable non-profit, non-partisan, international environmental organization.0 -
Ok. I read through the whole article. It's still deceptive. It's not saying that American's as a whole are the ones wasting it.
The ACTUAL article by the organization talks about manufacturers and a variety of other issues like food that goes bad in transit. Basically, they are talking about the whole process - manufacturer - distributor - than client.
I had to hunt but here is the article that's out there by NRDC that Huntington Post is actually citing. By the way, I'm into environmental issues but I suspect they aren't capturing the whole picture. I'm not anti-environmental friendly - the exact opposite. I just get suspicious when numbers are quoted at me and they don't provide exact facts.
http://www.nrdc.org/food/wasted-food.asp
You'll see that this article was really sloppy if you read the original. I thought it felt uncoordinated. I couldn't get how some of the ideas linked. It's missing some big pieces. Their actual article requests that the government put together a study on food waste which makes me wonder - where did they get this information from or is it general research on the process and not a full scientific report.
I get really suspicious of numbers like 50% when our government can't track anything worth a darn.
Monica
P.S. It was an interesting article.0 -
I can tell you one of the things I am most embarrassed about is how much food my husband and I throw out. We are working hard to stop it - started last year. Guilty of wasting food, not proud about it, and working to change it.0
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I bought it, I can throw it away. It's not like I can ship my leftovers to some starving child in Africa.:noway:0
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I bought it, I can throw it away. It's not like I can ship my leftovers to some starving child in Africa.:noway:
That's exactly the argument I gave my grandmother when she told me to clean my plate because there were starving children in China. I was 7.0 -
I read that article and several others on the same topic.
It is a waste of resources. I too find it appalling that there is so much food waste by Americans, in our households and in the distribution system.
I was raised in a poor household and wasting food was considered a mortal sin (almost) by my father. That is still with me. I do whatever I can to avoid wasting food in my own home but I can't control others who are too lazy to bother. There are always those who will just take the easy way out like a previous poster did. Some people just don't care enough. Maybe they never went hungry in childhood. Lucky them.
However, there are organizations who try to capture potential waste food and re-distribute it to where it is needed. Support them.0
This discussion has been closed.