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Over eating is an ecological issue- motivation?
CorvusCorax77
Posts: 2,536 Member
I was wondering if anyone else thinks about the ecological impacts of over eating, and if anyone else is motivated by that? The idea first came to me when I heard we were fishing the ocean to death. While I am a vegetarian and I was vegan for 11 years, I don't believe that veganism or vegetarianism is a one size fits all solution (because I'm indigenous too and my ancestors didn't destroy their land base by hunting).
Anyways, so it turns out some folks have done some maths around the idea that over eating causes ecological destruction. It's not a perfect science, but they looked at how much of the population had how much of a BMI and the typical diet in that region, and calculated an approximately 240 billion tons of CO2 in the atmosphere caused by over eating alone.
Here's a link: https://www.treehugger.com/overeating-terrible-planet-4856664
Of course, I know some of us need to eat more (you weight lifting beefcakes!), so again not a "one size fits all" approach, but I thought this was a really interesting thing to look into.
I'm an earth loving hippie, so this motivates me to get my eating addiction under control.
Anyways, so it turns out some folks have done some maths around the idea that over eating causes ecological destruction. It's not a perfect science, but they looked at how much of the population had how much of a BMI and the typical diet in that region, and calculated an approximately 240 billion tons of CO2 in the atmosphere caused by over eating alone.
Here's a link: https://www.treehugger.com/overeating-terrible-planet-4856664
Of course, I know some of us need to eat more (you weight lifting beefcakes!), so again not a "one size fits all" approach, but I thought this was a really interesting thing to look into.
I'm an earth loving hippie, so this motivates me to get my eating addiction under control.
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Also, here's a link to the actual study: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2019.00126/full1
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Neat topic idea @CorvusCorax77
I hope you don't mind I moved this over to the debate section, I think it will get some better visability here.3 -
If this idea motivates you then more power to you!
I’ve thought about having lessened my ecological impact due to the fact that I am a barefoot runner. I run barefoot because to me it feels natural and fun but I realize I’m also saving the planet a teeny tiny bit from having to manufacture, transport and later dispose of multiple pairs of running shoes every single year for many years and that’s definitely an added bonus in my opinion 5 -
RunsWithBees wrote: »If this idea motivates you then more power to you! I’ve thought about having lessened my ecological impact due to the fact that I am a barefoot runner. I run barefoot because to me it feels natural and fun but I realize I’m also saving the planet a teeny tiny bit from having to manufacture, transport and later dispose of multiple pairs of running shoes every single year for many years and that’s definitely an added bonus in my opinion
That's pretty rad. What type of surface do you run on?1 -
CorvusCorax77 wrote: »RunsWithBees wrote: »If this idea motivates you then more power to you! I’ve thought about having lessened my ecological impact due to the fact that I am a barefoot runner. I run barefoot because to me it feels natural and fun but I realize I’m also saving the planet a teeny tiny bit from having to manufacture, transport and later dispose of multiple pairs of running shoes every single year for many years and that’s definitely an added bonus in my opinion
That's pretty rad. What type of surface do you run on?
Trail and pavement. Trail running is my true passion! Been at it for 6+ years3 -
I've had related thoughts about the fact that some of the better evidence based nutrition guidelines are said to be impossible to meet for the world because there aren't enough fish for the fish recommendations for the benefits of omega 3 fats in fish. Yet oddly because of the way the industries are run, fish oil pills constantly remain cheaper than algae oil pills even though fish oil is essentially the product of letting fish eat a lot of algae and storing some of the fat in the algae.CorvusCorax77 wrote: »I was wondering if anyone else thinks about the ecological impacts of over eating, and if anyone else is motivated by that? The idea first came to me when I heard we were fishing the ocean to death.
I haven't dug into the paper but the article makes it sound like the calculation is done on the assumption that reducing obesity would be done purely via eating less. I think that assumption is off. The National Weight Control Registry shows about 90% of maintainers do so via increased activity. There's also some other studies that suggest movement at certain levels above sedentary alter the match between body weight and calorie intake to stay better aligned. So I would think their numbers might be slightly ambitious.
On the other end, it also sounds like their numbers are purely about the cost of calorie production for food. I think there is probably a carbon cost to the medical care associated with the health effects of obesity and overweight, but quantifying that would be harder.6 -
I think food waste, the stuff that gets tossed because it went bad is an issue too. Maybe a bigger issue.6
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Food waste is a big problem, I try my hardest not to throw away food.
I rarely do it, maybe once a month at most.1 -
Wonderful question. Thanks for posing it.
This may be an unpopular opinion (and will reveal some of my true colours 🤭) but I think that the way food is marketed towards consumers is an ecological issue. I think stuffing your face in excess is problematic on a few levels, including being a good steward of resources. I don’t want to throw the blame to the invisible hand of capitalism entirely, but it seems the marketing we see for food, especially prepared and prepackaged food is “more is more”. Fitness and healthy weight loss can be such a struggle because when we look around us we are encouraged to consume. We are told we “need” these things, including food, to be healthy. I believe this is largely baloney. Sure some of these things are nice and helpful to some degree (ex: a food scale, overpriced but yummy protein bars... I’m looking at you RX Bars 🤤) but a sustainable diet is one that is good for the individual, the environment, and is socially sustainable as well. I believe we have duty to care for the earth because it gives us everything we need to survive, and when I choose to buy things, including food the fuels me, I want to make choices that are good for me and food for the earth. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not farming my own land and eating seasonally all year round, but I’m trying to make these kinds of choices and trying is better than not!
I could talk about this at length. But I don’t want to be on a soap box. Either way, I completely agree with what you said. Everyone is different and shouldn’t eat the same, but I think your query is an excellent motivator on many levels.
Ps: I have also been called a hippie, (or a bleeding heart socialist by my father) so I kinda feel ya there. (I’m not really a hippie but I so want to be).7 -
No one forces you to eat. It's about personal responsibility.2
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I think that's an interesting and useful dimension to consider. In thinking about personal implications, though, I'd kind of broaden that out.
To do so, I'll share a personal theory others here may've seen me mention before: I think that all of us relatively well off people living in developed countries are unavoidable little moving bundles of global harm.
There's overconsumption (of various types), not only in personal lives, but in manufacturing and distribution channels. There's exploitation and abuse of labor, even slave labor and abusive child labor, both in our home countries, and (especially) in distant places we can't see it. We effectively export some high-pollution and otherwise environmentally destructive functions to places where we can't see those, either. There's waste at nearly every step of nearly every production and distribution process, energy inefficiency, trash, human and animal suffering, more.
Even if we arrange our own personal lives in pretty ways, there's all that stuff going on somewhere in the complex processes that supply our lovely minimalist ecologically aware organic things to us.
In some contexts, it's maddenly difficult to even figure out what constitutes "right action". Small example: Continuing debate about reusable shopping bags vs. paper. Even experts argue this sort of thing. Takes more resources to manufacture the reusable bags, and many are less recyclable/biodegradeable, or require non-sustainable inputs. Which is "best"? (Rhetorical question. Please don't answer.) Without complete expertise about everything, we're individually going to be screwing up on all kinds of tradeoffs like this. Can't help it, can't know it all.
(Magnus's comment is an example of the complexity of knowing and doing, in this food context, as is OP's comment about weight lifting.)
IMO, there's no way for an individual to "fix this", all of this, in his/her own life. That's a pipe dream. Mitigate? Sure, maybe, to a modest extent, in how we choose to live and possibly via activism or "charity".
In a context like that, where we as individuals can't possibly fix it all, I think decent people start by taking the mitigation steps that are *easiest* for each of us personally, as best we understand what's right. For some people, that's biking to work, for others recycling, a minmalist-possessions lifestyle, moving off the grid, growing their own food, being vegan, hunting their own meat, wearing thrifted clothing, . . . etc., and combinations.
Then, getting really pointed about it, because our individual harm is inherently not fully remediable, I think it's kind of tasteful not to be ostentatious or proud about any of it, or cast aspersions on people who do otherwise in any one way. The most we can do is so close to literally the least we can do, and there's so much that we don't do, or can't do, see or understand. We just do our best, and ideally try to stay modest about it. That's my opinion.
In that context: Yes, I try. When I became vegetarian 46+ years ago, resources were in my thought process. I'm uncertain whether I use fewer resources the way I eat now, or the way I ate when fat/obese. So complicated!
Learn more, think harder, via studies and articles like the link? Good stuff. Thanks for posting it, OP.
P.S. FWIW, I kind of actually was a hippie - or so others have assured me - back in the years +/- 1970 or thereabouts. I'm not sure being a hippie is a thing one can stop . . . or a thing one can continue, either. 🤣
. . . and end rant. 😉9 -
Yes this is a dimension I consider and that is discussed from time to time where I live in Sweden. Especially in the context that “treat food”/empty calories are a drain on the planet without providing nutrition in return and this people wanting to reduce their environmental footprint would be smart to limit it. Sometimes this argument can boost my decision making power when I’m in the store. I’m a person who have drastically reduced animal products, changed my travel habits and minimised single use packaging with the planet in mind.
Of course I’m also passionate about food waste. I find it helpful to think about the idea that you can waste food either by throwing it away, or by consuming it after you’ve excited your required intake. At this point said food is not fulfilling its purpose so to speak. It adds an extra dimension to my action plan when planning my cooking!5 -
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Good points all!!
Another important point- packaging!!
Think about this- the amount of packaging needed for tap or home filtered water, fresh fruits, veggies, meat, fish etc is minimal but the amount of packaging required for bottled water, Soda pop, chips (crisps), frozen dinners etc has a huge environmental impact. It is made from fossil fuels, mined metals and trees and requires much by way of transportation and refrigeration.
When I’m “eating clean” the trash bin looks empty compared to when it used to be stuffed with frozen food packages, candy wrappers etc.5 -
I'm not the person you were responding to, and I would admit that I probably toss things two or even three times a month (almost always fresh produce that started growing mold or went slimy before I could finish it), but here are the things I find most important in reducing food waste:
(1) Eat, repurpose, or freeze leftovers (I probably toss leftovers once a year, if that -- to me, it's convenience food -- ready to eat).
(2) Don't overbuy perishable foods. This is the hardest one for me, because I'm almost always cooking for one, and I like cooking from scratch, and whole foods are often only available in multi-serve amounts. Back when groceries stores had salad bars, I would sometimes buy small amounts for a specific recipe from the salad bar, but mostly I just try to limit what I buy and make a point of eating it before it goes bad.
(3) Triage perishable foods. E.g., if I buy different types of fruit, berries and stone fruit are going to get eaten before apples and citrus. For veggies, leafy greens, asparagus, and other quick to spoil veggies get eaten first, with things like okra, eggplant, broccoli, etc., getting eaten next. Root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips), green cabbage, and winter squash last a really long time, and thus go to the end of the triage list. Same with dairy: I find cultured products (yogurt, buttermilk, kefir) have a long shelf-life, as do a lot of hard cheeses, so I focus more on finishing regular milk and soft cheeses. I store shredded cheeses in the freezer; it doesn't seem to compromise texture or flavor at all.
Figuring out which of the foods you eat can be frozen without loss of quality is a big help. In general, things with low liquid content are generally good candidates, with the bonus that they thaw quickly when removed from the freezer (e.g., bread).5 -
It's an interesting topic, and probably just as complex as the overall scope of trying to be a "green" person.
I look at waste as one of my worst habits. Though it's not a lot, any food thrown out is food thrown out, and then add to that any excess weight I'm carrying, eating food that require more resources to grow, etc. It all adds up. The problem is that we all enjoy comforts, and sit here on computers creating greenhouse gasses discussing how to reduce greenhouse gasses. Then some of us will eat more than needed and become obese, creating waste and greenhouse gasses. Others will be more athletic, requiring more food and creating greenhouse gasses. It's a vicious cycle.
I've been to enough amazing places on this planet that I hope we figure out how to quit screwing it up. I'm sure most of us could do better, I know I could. But for every weakness I have, I try to find a way to compensate elsewhere.
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I'm maintaining my weight, so in that sense I'm not consuming calories in excess. But arguably I'm burning many more calories than necessary by exercising much more than needed for optimal health. I don't need to run six days a week. I don't need to train for a marathon.
I presume that marathons, or really any very physically active hobby, are largely a wealthy person activity. I can afford to consume ~2,600 relatively healthy calories a day.6 -
Is it impressive? Honestly, I'm baffled by the fact that households generate so much food waste. 43% in the US according to this report, which is probably similar to most developed countries. I've never understood how, why. Can anyone offer any insight into this? What kinds of foods do you throw out, and why?
Me, I buy only what I intend to eat, I eat everything I buy. Very occasionally I might throw out a piece of fruit that I didn't notice at the store had started going moldy and brought home. I suppose that maybe with children things might be more complicated - my 10-month old nephew throws much of his food on the floor, and not even his aunt who finds food waste abhorrent will pick it up and eat it herself. But then again he's small, so it's not as if he eats (or wastes) much to begin with. Shouldn't adults be able to plan what they are going to eat and act accordingly?1 -
Is it impressive? Honestly, I'm baffled by the fact that households generate so much food waste. 43% in the US according to this report, which is probably similar to most developed countries. I've never understood how, why. Can anyone offer any insight into this? What kinds of foods do you throw out, and why?
Me, I buy only what I intend to eat, I eat everything I buy. Very occasionally I might throw out a piece of fruit that I didn't notice at the store had started going moldy and brought home. I suppose that maybe with children things might be more complicated - my 10-month old nephew throws much of his food on the floor, and not even his aunt who finds food waste abhorrent will pick it up and eat it herself. But then again he's small, so it's not as if he eats (or wastes) much to begin with. Shouldn't adults be able to plan what they are going to eat and act accordingly?
Kids. Omg kids create so much waste.
We buy a lot of fruit because my kids eat a lot of fruit. That and bread is always available to them. And usually they are pretty good at eating it. Buy boy do they go through patches where they won't touch it and it rots in the bowl. Or they get a banana and because of a brown spot they won't eat it, or they get something because they are starving, eat half and throw away the rest.
We are trying to teach them to not waste food, but it's an ongoing challenge. They are getting better, but they are also only 4 and 6.
Also, the pickiness! We refuse to cook seperate meals. So they eat what ever we make for them. No individual meals. So this can cause waste, by them simply not eating what they are given.
So yeah, kids.
After that it's more complicated. I know I've bought stuff, intending to use it throughout the week, then simply didn't want to eat it when I got to it, or even forgot about it. Is this privileged? Absolutely. Did I do the same thing when I had absolutely no money, you bet it did. I believe its because we are trained and conditioned by advertising and marketing to always believe we have a choice no matter what.2 -
@MarttaHP I took a quick glance at my garbage to see what was in it. I found:
- take out containers/bags (this is from my partner he will often buy food or have it delivered. Don’t get me started - it’s very irritating for me and not something I actively do)
- Veggie, fruit and food scraps (pits, carrot tops, ends of asparagus spears that kind of stuff - my municipality doesn’t compost, but I suppose it is something I could start, not sure what to do with the dirt though as we don’t have a big yard)
- Kleenex, paper towel (also can be composted)
- then there are the foods that have gone bad, or leftovers we didn’t eat. These are the things that I dislike throwing out.
Expanding on that one: it’s not a lot. With leftovers, they’re usually thrown out because I don’t feel like eating it. I know this is a poor excuse, it’s something I’m working on. I try to eat everything I buy and I don’t over buy... well maybe I need to re-evaluate that? It does seem I’m the only one using the fresh fruit and veggies as snacks and incorporating them into meals. So maybe I buy produce only for me? Hah. Is that fair to my spouse? But for food that’s gone bad, it’s usually because I don’t want to eat the same thing every day (this is a result of my privilege I realize that) and figure I shouldn’t keep leftover for more than 2 weeks.
So from this I’m taking away:
- re-evaluate the amount of produce I buy since I seem to be the only one who eats it regularly
- Suck it up and eat my leftovers/ Find ways to incorporate them into lunches.
- Third option: feed it all to the dog since she doesn’t seem to mind what she eats 😜😂
Thanks for the food for thought.2 -
With leftovers, they’re usually thrown out because I don’t feel like eating it. I know this is a poor excuse, it’s something I’m working on...... But for food that’s gone bad, it’s usually because I don’t want to eat the same thing every day
Im the same, don’t want to eat the same thing three days in a row. This is why I freeze leftovers because in a couple of weeks I’ll enjoy eating it again and it’s essentially a home made ready meal when I’m tired and hungry after work. I also cook and freeze veggies that might not get eaten before they go bad, and tend to buy more berries than other fruit because they freeze and defrost well. Only problem is the freezer tends to get full!3 -
Kids. Omg kids create so much waste.
We buy a lot of fruit because my kids eat a lot of fruit. That and bread is always available to them. And usually they are pretty good at eating it. Buy boy do they go through patches where they won't touch it and it rots in the bowl. Or they get a banana and because of a brown spot they won't eat it, or they get something because they are starving, eat half and throw away the rest.
We are trying to teach them to not waste food, but it's an ongoing challenge. They are getting better, but they are also only 4 and 6.
Also, the pickiness! We refuse to cook seperate meals. So they eat what ever we make for them. No individual meals. So this can cause waste, by them simply not eating what they are given.
So yeah, kids.
Yes, I suppose there's only so much one can do to make one's children finish their plate. Probably most children find the "starving kids in Africa" argument (that I definitely remember from my own childhood) quite unconvincing. I guess it must take a level of maturity brought by age to be able to acknowledge your own privilege. (Well, and of course not all of us get there even then. There are certainly a million ways I'm blind to my own privilege too.)
I'm sure I wasn't as bothered by wasting food as a kid as I am now, but I have such a deep-seated aversion to it now that I'm certain it must have something to do with my upbringing. That, and now I just know about the environmental costs of food production, which probably is something I would not have understood/cared about as a child.I believe its because we are trained and conditioned by advertising and marketing to always believe we have a choice no matter what.
That is interesting. By choice, do you mean in what you choose to eat, or consume in general, or what? Could you expand on your thoughts about that?
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So from this I’m taking away:
- re-evaluate the amount of produce I buy since I seem to be the only one who eats it regularly
- Suck it up and eat my leftovers/ Find ways to incorporate them into lunches.
- Third option: feed it all to the dog since she doesn’t seem to mind what she eats 😜😂
I agree with greyhoundwalker: could you not just stick the leftovers in your freezer for consumption later on, when you do feel like eating that same food again? I mean, of course this means you need to keep tabs on what you've actually got in there so that it's not 2 years later and you find a bunch of containers with freezer-burned meals that not even your dog would want to consume.
I've probably got it easier on this front since I have a high tolerance for repetition in what I eat. I usually just make a big batch of food once a week, portion it out, freeze it, and eat it for the next several days. Also, I suppose it's simpler for me to buy only what I plan to eat since I live alone.1 -
greyhoundwalker wrote: »
With leftovers, they’re usually thrown out because I don’t feel like eating it. I know this is a poor excuse, it’s something I’m working on...... But for food that’s gone bad, it’s usually because I don’t want to eat the same thing every day
Im the same, don’t want to eat the same thing three days in a row. This is why I freeze leftovers because in a couple of weeks I’ll enjoy eating it again and it’s essentially a home made ready meal when I’m tired and hungry after work. I also cook and freeze veggies that might not get eaten before they go bad, and tend to buy more berries than other fruit because they freeze and defrost well. Only problem is the freezer tends to get full!
I like freezing leftovers, too . . . and lots of other things. In some ways, it may help reduce waste and some other negative impacts.
This is an area where tradeoffs come in, though. If a person just freezes small amounts, then the small freezer in the fridge is fine. But there are potentially reasons to buy a bigger freezer, and run it.
If I have more freezer space, I can buy local produce in season, and freeze it myself. Normally, this will use lower resources for transportation from around the world, possibly reduce some food waste because of the shorter supply chain, typically minmize disposable packaging, etc. I can check on the sustainability practices of the producer easily, in many cases. I can even have my own garden, if I have space at home or access to community sites, and freeze my own produce: Doing that completely clarifies many aspects of resource use, pollution, abusive labor practices, and more.
I can also buy (or grow) things like dry beans (sometimes local ones, but not always), batch-cook and freeze them. This may reduce transportation waste (the dry beans are more compact), and the packaging from bulk buying is more minimal than buying in cans or cartons. If I ate meat, and had a family, I could buy bulk meat from a local packager and know all about it, or even hunt/fish locally for food (as some of my friends/relatives do).
Does the cost of cooking them myself (probably less efficient than large scale cooking) and freezing outweigh the energy costs of canning, transport, etc.? I don't know. In high-flown theory, economic systems ideally ought to put all of the cost of a thing (including environmental costs) into the price, but we all know that not all exernalities are captured, and some of the costs on my side (how much energy to cook?) are hard to estimate. For sure, my home-cooked dried beans cost me less in dollars than even inexpensive canned ones, though take a bit more time.
So, environmental cost/resources of a separate freezer, and the power to run it, vs. other waste management strategies and the costs/damages built into the grocery production/distribution that can be avoided? Dunno.
Personally, I have the separate freezer, like it, and it's usually pretty full (especially during the pandemic) even though I live alone. (We bought it when my husband was alive, and we had a big garden, froze and canned many things.) About all I figure I can do is consider the prices I see, and the externalities I know about . . . but my comfort, happiness, and convenience are in the equation, too.
So, one strategy to comsider for minimizing food waste (and maybe reducing some other environmental harms, or not): Get a suitable-sized chest freezer. (Top loaders are more efficient.) The cost of power to run one typically amounts to less than the price of a Starbucks latte per month, and they aren't hugely expensive to buy, either, in smaller home sizes. Most people pay quite a bit more for their TV.
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Wonderful question. Thanks for posing it.
This may be an unpopular opinion (and will reveal some of my true colours 🤭) but I think that the way food is marketed towards consumers is an ecological issue. I think stuffing your face in excess is problematic on a few levels, including being a good steward of resources. I don’t want to throw the blame to the invisible hand of capitalism entirely, but it seems the marketing we see for food, especially prepared and prepackaged food is “more is more”. Fitness and healthy weight loss can be such a struggle because when we look around us we are encouraged to consume. We are told we “need” these things, including food, to be healthy. I believe this is largely baloney. Sure some of these things are nice and helpful to some degree (ex: a food scale, overpriced but yummy protein bars... I’m looking at you RX Bars 🤤) but a sustainable diet is one that is good for the individual, the environment, and is socially sustainable as well. I believe we have duty to care for the earth because it gives us everything we need to survive, and when I choose to buy things, including food the fuels me, I want to make choices that are good for me and food for the earth. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not farming my own land and eating seasonally all year round, but I’m trying to make these kinds of choices and trying is better than not!
I could talk about this at length. But I don’t want to be on a soap box. Either way, I completely agree with what you said. Everyone is different and shouldn’t eat the same, but I think your query is an excellent motivator on many levels.
Ps: I have also been called a hippie, (or a bleeding heart socialist by my father) so I kinda feel ya there. (I’m not really a hippie but I so want to be).
That was all really interesting, and also thoughts I have. I want to someday grow all my own food and eat meat my husband hunts. I'm currently a vegetarian, but I believe ecologically speaking hunted meat is better than highly processed soy products.2 -
Onedaywriter wrote: »Good points all!!
Another important point- packaging!!
Think about this- the amount of packaging needed for tap or home filtered water, fresh fruits, veggies, meat, fish etc is minimal but the amount of packaging required for bottled water, Soda pop, chips (crisps), frozen dinners etc has a huge environmental impact. It is made from fossil fuels, mined metals and trees and requires much by way of transportation and refrigeration.
When I’m “eating clean” the trash bin looks empty compared to when it used to be stuffed with frozen food packages, candy wrappers etc.
This! It's interesting but true- when I'm eating healthier, i often have much less garbage... because I'm picking up produce mostly and yes I use reusable bags....0 -
No one forces you to eat. It's about personal responsibility.
This is a no brainer, and not sure why you said it in response to my post. But I will say, food addiction is real. So is personal responsibility. But don't pretend like the experience of trying to control your eating is the same for everyone.2 -
I'm maintaining my weight, so in that sense I'm not consuming calories in excess. But arguably I'm burning many more calories than necessary by exercising much more than needed for optimal health. I don't need to run six days a week. I don't need to train for a marathon.
I presume that marathons, or really any very physically active hobby, are largely a wealthy person activity. I can afford to consume ~2,600 relatively healthy calories a day.
Yeah to be clear, I'm not advocating people stop fueling their exercises for the earth. I'm just thinking in terms of someone who is in a position like me- I work out, I eat, but I'm overweight. I obviously over-eat. And it is in contradiction with my ethics to over consume limited resources like this.
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Is it impressive? Honestly, I'm baffled by the fact that households generate so much food waste. 43% in the US according to this report, which is probably similar to most developed countries. I've never understood how, why. Can anyone offer any insight into this? What kinds of foods do you throw out, and why?
Me, I buy only what I intend to eat, I eat everything I buy. Very occasionally I might throw out a piece of fruit that I didn't notice at the store had started going moldy and brought home. I suppose that maybe with children things might be more complicated - my 10-month old nephew throws much of his food on the floor, and not even his aunt who finds food waste abhorrent will pick it up and eat it herself. But then again he's small, so it's not as if he eats (or wastes) much to begin with. Shouldn't adults be able to plan what they are going to eat and act accordingly?
I used to work in a grocery store and that was actually where i saw the most waste. They wanted the shelves to always look full, which meant always buying more product than would actually sell. A LOT was tossed there regularly. and that was a health food store.1
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