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food waste in America

Food waste is a huge issue in America, is time to talk about food waste seriously. Food waste is roughly estimated at between 30-40 percent of the U.S. food supply.

This cause not only hunger but also once this food gets to the landfill, it then generates methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide in trapping heat within our atmosphere. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, landfills account for 34 percent of all methane emissions in the U.S. — meaning that the sandwich you made and then didn’t eat yesterday is increasing your personal — and our collective — carbon footprint.

An extreme reaction to the food waste issue is “freeganism,” a movement of people who live on the food cast off by others. These “dumpster divers” share, in the words of movement founder Warren Oakes, “an anti-consumeristic ethic about eating” and not only avoid creating waste but live off that caused by others.

Going freegan might be a bit much for most of us, but we can all take action to minimize food waste. The University of Arizona’s Jones suggests more careful purchase planning, including devising complete menus and grocery lists, and knowing what foods are lurking in the fridge and pantry that should be used before they go bad. And don’t forget that many foods can be frozen and enjoyed later. Jones contends that if we as a nation were able to cut our food waste in half, we’d extend the lifespan of landfills by decades and reduce soil depletion and the application of untold tons of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.

food waste recovery hierarchy
What has been done to solve America’s food waste problem?

The foodbank  is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough food to avoid hunger.

In the United States and Australia, food banks usually operate on the “warehouse” model. They act as food storage and distribution depots for smaller front line agencies; and usually do not themselves give out food directly to the hungry.

The USDA is joining with Feeding America to launch a friendly competition among the nation’s food banks to sign up the most participants in the U.S. Food Waste Challenge.  The food bank that registers the most donors as participants in the U.S. Food Waste Challenge will be honored in an event hosted by the Department of Agriculture.  The competition runs from July 22 to August 30.
The U.S. Food Waste Challenge, which was inaugurated in June 2013 by USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, calls on businesses and organizations across the country to join the effort to reduce food waste in the United States. The goal of the U.S. Food Waste Challenge is to lead a fundamental shift in how we think about and manage food and food waste in this country. To join the Challenge, participants list the activities they will undertake to help reduce, recover, or recycle food waste in their operations. The Challenge includes a goal of 400 partners by 2015 and 1,000 by 2020.

Reference:
Enviromental Issues linked to food waste http://life.gaiam.com/article/how-can-america-solve-its-food-waste-problems
USDA (United States Department of Agricolture: http://blogs.usda.gov/2014/07/22/food-banks-compete-in-membership-drive-for-the-u-s-food-waste-challenge/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_bank

Img:
biocycle.net & wikipedia