We recently read a Los Angeles Times article online which raised the alarm about the probability of corn prices setting records due primarily to the record drought year of 2012. This situation has us re-thinking our food budget and considering corn-free choices which, by the way, is harder then you might think. While we understand the thought process, there is another, and maybe better, way to save money on your grocery bill. There is a real problem in our country with how we waste food. We may find that a food waste management solution is an area in which real action needs to be taken and soon.
Some statistics for consideration:
- The USA produces 590 billion pounds of food a year.
- Approximately 150 billion pounds is wasted just reaching our table.
- Food waste is up 50% since 1974.
- Food is what fills our landfills.
- If we reduce waste just 5% we could feed over 20 million Americans each year.
It is surprising that more people are not discussing what is fast becoming a crisis, if it is not one already.
While you might think that the leftovers you scrape into the garbage after dinner is where all this waste is occurring, and a lot of it is, some other sources of food waste might surprise you.
- Most kitchen food waste consists of fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, eggs and milk.
- Restaurants waste from giant portions most can't finish.
- Sell By dates, Use By dates and Best By dates cause confusion and the result is waste.
- Grocery stores that are worried about spoilage that hasn't occurred yet.
It is quite obvious that our food system is hugely inefficient and in order to change these wasteful patterns some new connections need to be made. People need to see food as a resource instead of seeing it as garbage. If farms would use unsold produce for composting and fertilizing, that would go a long way toward reducing waste. Americans also need to learn better ways of storing food and consuming food so as to avoid waste.
There are no easy answers but there are positive actions that can take place right away so that we are moving in the right direction. Do you have a home garden? Have you considered a home compost pile? Tell us your experiences so that we might all learn better waste management skills below.
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