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Food Waste

Issue:  About 40% of the food grown is wasted somewhere along the production, distribution, retailing and intended user cycle.  An estimated 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted globally each year, one third of all food produced for human consumption, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Sep 12, 2018. 
Learn from our Zoom Discussion:  Watch the video of our discussion on Food Waste.  May 28, 2020.  
Learn More- In an Hour or So:
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story – (1h 15min film from Canada.  Trailer below) – heartwarming film about a couple that decides to see if they can sustain themselves on foraged food for 6 months.  Available on Amazon Prime, YouTube, GooglePlay, VUDU, and Kanopy.
Why should we care?  Massive amounts of water, energy, land, and other resources go into the production and distribution of food.  One third of productive land use in this country is for agricultural production. Throwing food away is wasting land, water, energy and usually foregoing the opportunity to feed the hungry.
What can we do now?
  • Use freezers wisely.  Many foods can be frozen for later use.
  • Plan meals in advance and stick to a shopping list, so as not to overbuy.
  • Plan meals around what you have and supplement from there.
  • Buy culls knowing that they are good, healthy food but may not be selected by others who judge based on appearance.
  • Use more of the plant: cauliflower is 60% leaf, all of which is tasty; celery “hearts” waste a huge portion of the plant – buy and use full stalks instead
  • Understand date labels: 84% of consumers discard food based on dates on packaging …. but we don’t have to!  “Sell By” can be ignored.  This is communication between the wholesaler and the retailer.  “Use By” or its variants (“Enjoy By”, “Freshest By”, “Best By”, etc.) are a manufacturer’s best guess as to how long a food will be at peak quality.  With few exceptions, food will be wholesome and safe to eat long past the “expiration” date. 
  • Ask your supermarket what they, and their suppliers, do with culls.  Find out how your community links culls to 1) the hungry, or if not possible, to 2) other uses such as animal feed or compost. 
Read About It: (please use the library, order directly from a local bookstore, or use bookshop.org to support local book sellers)

American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food (and What We Can Do About It) by Jonathan Bloom
                               
Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristram Stuart.