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| We throw away so much food |
Why do we waste so much food? Did you know that we throw away about 40% of our food? People always joke around these days saying that "kids in Africa could've eaten that." There is actually a lot of truth behind this. In the USA, the average person throws away 20 pounds of food per MONTH. Industrialized countries waste only 8 million tons less than all of sub-Saharan Africa food production. We need to be more grateful for the food we get because YES, it makes a difference.
The landfills are all the evidence we need. With organic waste coming in at second place in landfill population and emitting the most methane, it is quite obvious that our waste is also effecting the environment. There are many organizations and charities that try to help with this massive food issue, but they simply can't keep up with all the food going to waste. Many people want to help but sometimes just can't figure out how or just don't want to put in the effort. This leaves people with many questions.
How can I save food? What are some techniques or tips? The answers are actually quite simple.
Create a shopping list and store smartly. Many people will say that all of this really has no impact as a whole, but if everybody tries to not be as wasteful, it can make a huge difference. Read more here.
I very much agree with you that people should always be conscientious of their waste of food and just items in general. Wasting food is awful as there are so many people in other parts of the world who need it. But we must also remember that the waste of food here does not directly contribute to the lack of it in other places. I'm sure if people could magically teleport their leftover to people who need it they would, but the fact is we can't. So while it is true Americans are quite wasteful when it comes to food and need to be more mindful of that, we need to keep in mind that it does not make us terrible people for having more than others.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to consider what keep us back from not wasting food. is it our own personal habits? Something cultural in the U.S.? Some mechanism not in place that would make it easier to not waste food?
ReplyDeleteSuggestion: you end your post by suggesting that it's "simple," but is it really? If it were simple wouldn't we be better at preserving food as a country?
Jeffrey, I also believe that America has a consumer culture which is wasteful in most cases. Not only food, but pollution and packaging waste, all leave us with a question of how to become a more efficient and clean world. Along with research on how to improve the genes of food, so there is no hunger left in the world, I also believe that there should be a more equal distribution of food to support an exponentially growing population. I hope that being an American will veer away from being seen as wasteful and our societies will learn to use resources to the benefit of all people.
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