Food Waste

By Maggie Algya

       You’re hungry. You open your fridge and can’t remember how long your half-eaten burger from the local pub has been sitting in its Styrofoam box, so you toss it out. You think that the head of fresh broccoli is turning slightly yellow, so you throw it out. You think the leftover casserole you made last week is on its last leg, so you toss it out. You grab the container of yogurt that is ¾ full and notice the expiration date was yesterday, so you grudgingly throw it out. You decide to make a frozen pizza, eat half of it, and leave the other half on the counter over night. By the time you wake up the next day, bacteria has made itself at home on the uneaten portion, and you are inclined to throw it out. 

                                 FOOD WASTE.  

We all do it, in some form or fashion. As Americans, we are so used to throwing out any mildly questionable food, without considering the consequences. Can’t finish your Chipotle burrito? Just throw it away. Not a fan of the dressing you just doused on your salad? Just toss the whole thing out and start over. These types of behavior have become acceptable and there is no one to hold us accountable. 

The United States is in the lead for the country with the most food waste. According to Feeding America, an estimated 72 billion pounds of food is wasted a year, not including the food wasted in homes. Additionally, $218 billion of food is thrown away every year, not including the amount of food tossed in homes. According to Food Forward, studies have shown that an estimated 30-40% of food produced in the United States is thrown away each year.

“An estimated 30-40% of the food produced in the US is thrown away (1)”

Meanwhile, approximately 42 million Americans, including 13 million children, live in food insecure households. This means that 1 out of 8 people in America do not have access to food to sustain a healthy life. This baffles me. While you’re only eating a portion of your pizza and letting the rest spoil, only to be thrown away the next day, there are millions of families around you struggling to find their next meal. 

If this sad truth isn’t enough to change your behavior, I have something else for you. Food waste not only affects food insecure Americans, but also the oh so fragile environment in which we live. Further statistics include the staggering volume of food that makes up 21% of landfills, and the 21% of fresh water that is used to produce food that is discarded. Additionally, around 20 billion pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables are not harvested and left in fields, only to be plowed under. According to Move for Hunger, approximately 1.4 billion hectares of land are used to grow food that is wasted, not to mention the millions of gallons of oil that is wasted due to the fresh produce never being eaten. 

Another factor that contributes to food waste is the date labels found on food products. According to the National Resources Defense Council, approximately 90% of Americans are confused by date labels and throw away food that is still edible, just because a tiny sticker tells them to do so. Except for infant formula, the Food and Drug Administration does not require a date label on food products; however, manufacturers add date labels to their products for a variety of reasons. One of these reasons is to avoid consumers eating or drinking the product after it has gone bad, getting sick from the product, and blaming it on the manufacturer. Another reason could be that the manufacturer doesn’t want their product to be associated with tasting “off” or not as fresh when it is consumed at a later date. Manufacturers may also add a date label to trick the consumer into thinking the product has expired, in hopes that it is thrown away and the consumer has to buy more of that product, thus generating more revenue for the manufacturer. 

“Approximately 90% of Americans are confused by date labels and throw away food that is still edible, just because a tiny sticker tells them to do so”

Common date labels include “expires by”, “sell by”, and “best if used by”. These dates are not meant to be religiously followed, but act more so like a guideline for the consumer. I am not advocating for you to consume milk two months after the expiration date; however, I am urging you to use your best judgement and to think twice before throwing food away. 

Not all hope is lost. Through the Obama administration, the government is taking action on the food waste crisis in the United States. The USDA and the EPA have developed efforts to reduce food loss and waste in half in the year 2030. The goal in the next twelve years is to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills by 50% to 109.4 lbs per person, and to reduce the amount of food loss by 50% to 66 billion pounds. 

As American citizens we have a duty to join this initiative and do our part to reduce food waste in our own homes. The EPA provides several ways to limit food waste:

Meal Planning:

• Plan ahead and create a weekly menu in order to save time and money
• Take an inventory of what you already have in your pantry/fridge and buy only what you need for the week
• Buying in bulk can save money if you are able to consume the food before it spoils

Storage Tips:

• Research how to properly store various items, especially fruits and vegetables
• Freeze or can items that you may not be able to use right away, or items that you may have in abundance 

Preparation Tips:

• Prepare perishable foods right away after purchasing for easy snacking and cooking
• Prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them for future use

Be Mindful:

• Consume the oldest produce first, before it goes bad
• If the produce does not seem as fresh, try adding it to soups, casseroles, smoothies, or stir fry
• At restaurants, only order what you think you can eat in one sitting; and if taking home leftovers, don’t stick it in the back of your fridge and forget about it!

There is more than enough food in the US to feed everyone; however, limited access and
few resources negatively affect many Americans’ chance to obtain the food. I urge you to consider the facts and this current crisis before tossing out food simply because you can. Make small changes to preserving food and limiting the waste you create. When we are able to stop food waste, we take a huge step toward ending hunger. 

“When we are able to stop food waste, we take a huge step toward ending hunger”

Resources

Charles, D. (2017). For Food Manufacturers, 'Sell By' labels may have reached their

expiration date. National Public Radio, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/02/15/515427797/food-companies-may-say-goodbye-to-sell-by-label

Environmental Protection Agency. (2018). Reducing wasted food at home. Retrieve

from https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home

Feeding America. (2018). Fighting food waste with food rescue. Retrieved from

http://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/our-approach/reduce-food-waste.html

Food Forward. (2017). How much food is wasted in America? Retrieved from

https://foodforward.org/2017/09/how-much-food-is-wasted-in-america/

Move for Hunger. (2015). The environmental impact of food waste. Retrieved from

https://www.moveforhunger.org/the-environmental-impact-of-food-waste/

National Resources Defense Council. (2016). USDA overhauls food date labeling for meat

and dairy products nationwide. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/media/2016/161214