Green

Food Waste

We do this every day and yet it is almost as if it does not affect us in any way. Wasting food is not negligible as it brings with it many environmental and sociological issues. It is something we cannot simply ignore and it is important that we change the way we live and try to do it more sustainably.

Scary Facts
You might not notice it happening, but it does, all the time. Food wastage is highest at places like restaurants, as people leave food on their plates, and restaurants themselves throw away food that is not utilized that day.

The USDA figures state that approximately 1/5 of America’s food ends up as waste every single year. This is equal to 130 pounds of food per person, amounting to a loss of $31 billion. The EPA meanwhile estimates that 12.5% of all solid waste is from food scraps. Not only is this waste dangerous, in landfills it generates very dangerous methane gas which is more potent than carbon dioxide.

The Biggest Culprits
Pointing fingers at any single party is tough in this case. Food wastage is caused by everyone from commercial and retail food companies to individual homes as well. Food is also lost during transportation due to incorrect storage, imperfect foods and even corporate policies.

No So Perfect
People are obsessed with things that look perfect. The same applies to food. The food industry also adopts this science and discards large amounts of food, especially fruits and vegetables for this exact reason.

What to do?
Reducing food waste is possible. First, try to buy local produce. When shopping for food, plan wisely; when ordering food, order appropriately.