According to a new analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Americans are throwing away 40% of food in the US – the equivalent of $165bn in uneaten food each year.
In a time of drought and skyrocketing food prices, NRDC outlines opportunities to reduce wasted food and money on the farm, in the grocery store and at home.
Dana Gunders, NRDC project scientist with the food and agriculture programme, said: “As a country, we’re essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path – that’s money and precious resources down the drain.
“With the price of food continuing to grow, and drought jeopardising farmers nationwide (US), now is the time to embrace all the tremendous untapped opportunities to get more out of our food system. We can do better.”
NRDC’s issue brief – *Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food from Farm To Fork to Landfill\8 – analyses the latest case studies and government data on the causes and extent of food losses at every level of the US food supply chain.
Key findings include:
Consumers are a major contributor to the problem, with the majority of food losses occurring in restaurants and household kitchens. A significant reason for this is large portions, as well as uneaten leftovers. According to the data, portion sizes are two to eight times larger than the government’s standard serving sizes.
Wasted food also translates into wasted natural resources, because of the energy, water and farmland necessary to grow, transport, and store food.
About half of all land in the US goes to agriculture, some 25% of all the freshwater consumed in this country, along with 4% of the oil, goes into producing food that is never eaten. Uneaten food accounts for 23% of all methane emissions in the US – a potent climate change pollutant.
The NRDC suggests that businesses should seize opportunities to streamline their own operations, reduce food losses and save money. The Stop and Shop grocery chain is already doing this successfully, saving an estimated $100m annually after an analysis of freshness, loss, and customer satisfaction in their perishables department.
Source: NRDC
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