According to the World Wildlife Federation, the production of wasted food in the United States is equivalent to the greenhouse emissions of 37 million cars. This estimate, based on estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service of 31 percent food loss at the retail and consumer levels, corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010. most times, we tend to take more food than our stomach can actually carry and we eventually get filled up while eating and discard the leftover since nobody else in the house would be willing to continue with the food we have messed up. Countable Is Officially Causes.com.
Related Best Vacuum Sealer 2017: Top 15 Reviews and Buyer Guide. Composting isn’t part of our food-prep routine, so we continue to add fuel to the fire in increasing the sheer size of US landfills. Reduction in food waste will definitely ensure that businesses in the country reduce or totally cut the costs involved in hiring staffs meant to dispose of accumulated waste. Therefore, interventions for preventing food waste must be put forward to overcome the hunger problem in developing countries. 2 Globally, one third of the food produced each year—approximately 1.3 billion tons—gets lost or wasted. Last update on 2021-01-21 at 00:52 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. This is most times attributed to poor food transportation and storage logistics by the agricultural and industrial sector. Food that has passed its use date: These are mostly processed foods that have exceeded the proposed expiry date. By reducing food loss and waste in Canada, we can also reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. 6. Here are a couple of ways food waste can be curbed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household spends more than $3,000 a year on eating out. This is an area mostly overlooked in the food supply chain, especially in developed countries like the United States. The challenge isn’t to produce more food, but to waste less in the process. With its high population, the country is also one of the biggest food producers and importer across the globe. Food waste at both the production and consumer levels contributes to worldwide hunger. There are several factors driving food waste inside of Japan. This number measures up to one-third of the food production allocated for human consumption. So grave is the situation that the government spends approximately $8 million in an effort to manage food waste. Food waste is a serious problem, but instead of crying over spoiled milk, it’s much better not to let it spoil in the first place. Each year, 72 billion pounds of food goes to waste while 50 million people may struggle with hunger in 2020. Causes of food loss and waste. Getting to the bottom of what causes food waste in America is a challenge that traverses the complex landscapes of socioeconomic disparities, confusion, and ingrained beliefs, layered with human behaviors and habits. Proposed Solutions to Food Waste. 2 Food waste is a part of FLW. It takes over 12,000 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. In some nations, poor cold storage and refrigerated transportation availability result in much of food production being lost at the farm. Don’t forget that in many cities across the U.S., residents pay for trash pickup by volume or weight. Simultaneously, as the production of food destined for trashcans destroys soil fertility and drains fresh water supplies, the waste of fresh produce found in Europe and North America causes backlash in other countries. How misleading labels contribute to food waste. Our take-out society doesn’t use food in its entirety the way our ancestors used to. Are you concerned about food waste? The United States had the largest amount of food waste per person and is estimated to have 95.1 kg (about 210 pounds) per person per year of food waste. Meanwhile, the largest percentage of food waste from the average American consists of meat products, and 33% ends up in a landfill. Best Backpack Vacuum Options: Hands (Nearly) Free... Dyson V8 vs. V10 Vacuums: How Do They Measure Up? The annual value of this lost food is estimated at around $31 billion But the real story is that roughly 49 million people could have been fed by those lost resources. We’re wasteful every single day of the year. Sustainable Development Goal 12 addresses responsible consumption and production, which includes two indicators to measure (in order to ultimately reduce) global food loss and food waste. Losses in the nutritional value, caloric value and edibility of crops, by extremes of temperature, humidity or the action of micro-organisms, also account for food waste. In Denmark, you can use an app to find restaurants and bakeries that are about to close and purchase their remaining food at a fraction of the cost. Badly prepared food: This is probably the major reason why most homes waste food regularly. Similarly, Wtrmln Wtr is a company that takes watermelons that would normally be thrown out – and eventually end up in landfills – and creates a juice out of the melons. Food that sits decaying in landfills also produces nitrogen pollution, which causes algae blooms and dead zones. The latest comprehensive EU-wide report on food waste Source:Fusions EU, from 2012, suggests that the total costs of food waste are about 143 billion euros per year across the EU.Out of this amount, the cost for households is 98 billion. Farmer-buyer sales agreements may contribute to quantities of farm crops being wasted. Some examples include: stocking too much food that spoils before it can be sold or eaten No offense to moms out there, but sometimes we all tend to throw away food that tastes bad. Finally, there are opportunities for commercial businesses to donate unused food like Sodexo has – donating all uneaten food to local communities in need. 1-833-RTS-INFO | info@rts.com While the food waste movement across America is gaining momentum, it needs to pick up speed to help tackle one of the globe’s most pressing problems: climate change. 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