The Food Waste Crisis and The Solutions
“Food waste is like stealing from the table of those who are poor and hungry.” (Pope Francis). Food Waste is an epidemic, forty percent of the food sold in the United States is not eaten. While upwards of 800 million people suffer from malnourishment and starvation. Food waste costs taxpayers and farmers billions, the estimated value of the food wasted is 408 billion dollars, equal to the GDP of Vietnam. In addition to the cost of the food transported to landfills, moving 60 million tons is no easy task. It is resulting in more taxpayer money wasted. As if this crisis wasn’t worrying enough, when food is put in landfills it creates a greenhouse gas called methane. Methane is twenty-six times more potent than carbon dioxide. Methane is massively contributing to climate change.
What Are People Doing to Make a Positive Impact
However, there are solutions to the predicament. There is composting, turning food waste into fertilizers to support our farmers. A few nonprofit organizations have been using this abundant food supply to feed the nation's neediest. This process is very efficient; however, it is used by very few institutions. One of the biggest causes of food waste is the American consumer and the expectation of perfect food. Society must lower its high standards to reduce the edible food wasted.
“Composting means allowing organic matter to decay so that it becomes a valuable plant fertilizer” (USDA). Composting seems like the ideal solution but how many Americans compost? Just 32.1 percent of Americans compost. Instead, their food waste is sent straight to landfills. However, the state of California is leading the charge against these wasteful practices. San Francisco has started a compost curbside pick-up program, and all Californians are now legally required to compost. Eight other states have followed suit, and more are considering legislation. Even in a state without composting laws, people still can compost at home. An enclosed bin or even a pit in the ground will work for composting. Dump the food scraps into the bin and microbes will do all the heavy lifting. Within three months the food scraps will be replaced with clean, healthy soil.
Food Waste Can Feed People
Hunger should be a problem only third-world countries have, not the richest nation in the world. There is uneaten food and those who need food, yet it is just wasted instead of starving. However, some charities try to bridge the gap. “The school board voted to allow nonprofits to pick up extra food under the federal Good Samaritan food law that allows such actions to aid people in need.” (Los Angeles Times). These charities gather unwanted food from restaurants, bakeries, hospitals, and everything in between. The food is distributed by local homeless shelters and food banks. However, these charities have a limited reach due to the lack of awareness, but as public recognition grows the nonprofits can increase their scope.
Food Lasts Longer Than Most People Think
Selling-by dates are one of the leading causes of the food crisis and much of the blame lies on the media. Countless videos are showing comedic scenes of dads saying, “Expiration dates are just a suggestion.” while trying to feed their kids a moldy piece of cheese. Creating a public suspicious of food past their sell-by dates. “Such dates — including "sell-by" and "best-if-used-by" — don't refer to food safety, but are set by manufacturers who have determined when their food tastes the best” (Fresno Bee). These dates cause many to throw away perfectly fine food. In addition, Americans have come to expect too much from their food. Food is expected to not have a single physical blemish, leading farmers to throw out perfectly good food believing it won’t sell. If society can lower their exceptions to eating non-perfect fruit, less food will be thrown away at the agricultural level. If America realizes sell-by dates are not important, less food will be thrown away at the supermarkets.
We Can Solve the Food Waste Problem
Food waste is one of the most pressing issues in our society and environment. However, it is also one of the most solvable. If Congress moves to make a nationwide law requiring composting around the nation, less food will be thrown away at the domestic level. If the nonprofits connecting food to charities continue to grow and expand, many businesses will throw out less food and the hungry get fed. Lastly, if the consumer can lower their standards from perfect to good much less produce will be wasted. If these steps are taken into action our food waste problem will be a thing of the past.
Tanner Kosiek, 9th grade student, Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, CA
Works Cited
Clough, Bethany. "Throwing Away 90 Billion Pounds of Food a Year Is Wasting Land, Water Resources, Too." Fresno Bee, 06/25 2013. ProQuest; SIRS Discoverer, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsdiscoverer/document/2265555425?accountid=194463.
"USDA Challenge: Reduce Food Waste." News Currents, 07/28 2014. ProQuest; SIRS Discoverer, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsdiscoverer/document/2250363353?accountid=194106.
Watanabe, Teresa. "Solutions Sought to Reduce Food Waste at Schools." Los Angeles Times, 04/08 2014. ProQuest; SIRS Discoverer, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsdiscoverer/document/2262360502?accountid=194106.