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26 April 2018
Worldwide Food Waste
Farmers, Restaurants, and Supermarkets are discarding millions of tons of edible fruits, vegetables, and meat, each year even as a growing number of Californians are struggling to put food on the table. In the United States, it is estimated that 86 billion pounds of food was lost in 2008 due to waste, of which nineteen percent was generated by the retail and food service industries (Charlebois). In Canada, food waste alone cost $2.2 billion in 2009. Food waste arguably causes a significant financial loss for the entire industry; with improved management, this loss can be substantially decreased (Charlebois). This proves that food waste is not only going on the United States, it is also going on in other countries. Millions of people go to sleep every night without food, meanwhile tons of millions of foods is being wasted every year. The world wastes an unbelievable amount of food every year, which will eventually lead to a major downfall in ecosystems.
In the United States, supermarkets, restaurants, and convenience stores 27 million tons of food are wasted on an annual level (Lukic). This is a ridiculous amount of food considering the outrageous amounts of people who do not eat every night not knowing when they are going to have their next meal. In the United States it is estimated that 86 billion pounds of food was lost in 2008 due to waste, of which 19% was generated by the retail and food service industries (Charlebois). Instead of wasting food, more and more retail and food service industries should be donating leftover or unwanted food to shelters or turning it into compost to help better the earth. An estimated 6 million tons of food is thrown out each year in California, and studies have shown there was enough wasted food to fill the Staples Center 35 times over (Wasted:6M tons of Food). This should not happen considering the large amounts of people living in poverty in California who struggle to get a meal. In Canada, food waste alone cost $2.2 billion in 2009. Food waste arguably causes a significant loss for the entire industry (Charlebois). Food waste is not only present in America, it is also happening in other countries. It is not only harming countries physically, it is also harming them financially. In Great Britain, retailers and wholesalers generate approximately 1.7 million tons of food waste on annual level (Lukic). This amount of food waste is scarcely close to the amount of food waste in the United States on annual level, and this goes to show that the United States is not the only country struggling with food waste.
As indicated in Figure 1 below, many countries struggle with food waste.
Blue symbolizes the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand which have the highest amount of food wasted per year, followed by Orange which symbolizes Europe that has the second highest amount of food wasted each year. Whereas navy blue symbolizes Sub-Saharan Africa, which has the least amount of food wasted each year.
Source: “‘What a Waste’ Report Shows Alarming Rise in Amount, Costs of Garbage.” World Bank. N.p., 6 June 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2018.
The environmental impact of producing food is enormous, so waste contributes needlessly to climate change, loss of biodiversity, nitrogen, and phosphorus loading, and use of scarce agricultural land limited fresh water resources (MacDiarmid). Food waste is not only affecting the world financially it is also affecting the world physically. Food is the number one trash component in America’s landfills, and the gas from its decay contributes more to climate pollution than all the cars in Georgia (Mccllelan). Food waste is severely affecting the earth, decaying food is producing gas that is slowly but surely affecting humans and their habitats. America wastes more food now than it did in 1970. Consumers today throw up to 50% more food than they did in the 1970s, according to the National Institutes of Health (Mccllelan). Over decades Americans have continued to waste more and more food, Americans seem to not understand the significance of food and how they have compared to other countries. Despite laws and tax incentives that encourage donation, food is the largest single source of waste in California, making up to 15.5% of its wasted streams (Wasted: 6M tons of Food). Although restaurants are encouraged to donate unwanted food they refuse, due to the risk of providing food that can possibly make someone sick. While some supermarkets donate surplus food to programs for needy others discard meat, produce, and other items not yet past their expiration dates (Wasted: 6M tons of Food). Supermarkets are throwing away produce that is not yet past their expiration date due to laziness, instead of taking the time to look at expiration date they are wasting produce that can easily be saved or donated to food banks. With unemployment near record highs and food banks reporting surging demand of emergency assistance, the issue of food as a commodity takes on added significance (Wasted: 6M tons of Food). Due to a high rate of unemployed people in the United States more and more food banks are beginning to fill up, meaning that more food will be needed. Due to a scarce food source food banks are beginning to worry if they will have enough food to feed people.
Therefore, food waste is detrimental, and it is the governments job to put an end to food waste. The California Association of Foodbanks, which represents 45 food banks has distributed more than 60 million pounds of food through its Farm to Family gleaming program (Wasted:6M tons of Food). Although food waste is still occurring around the word there are foodbanks that are still attempting to save food and feed others. Health officials, researchers, economists, farmers, and corporate leaders agree that the more efficient production and distribution of food could reduce waste (Wasted:6Mtons of Food). Many people believe that food waste can be avoided by obtaining better habits of the way foods are produced and distributed to farms, restaurants, and supermarkets. Some farms try to reduce their waste by donating produce to food banks, Del Monte foods co. located in California donated more than 2 million pounds of bananas and cantaloupes to a local food bank in California (Wasted:6M tons of Food). This is significant because although instead of wasting unwanted fruits the farmers donated it to people who needed food. Millions more pounds of fruits and vegetables are rescued from the plow blade by gleaming groups that deliver “second harvest” crops to food banks for distribution (Wasted:6M tons of Food). Not only are foodbanks helping to stop food waste, but gleaming groups are also helping to stop food waste in America. Many of California’s farms, supermarket chains, and restaurants donate millions of pounds of food each year to help the needy (Wasted:6M tons of Food). Multiple businesses and organizations are taking the responsibility of stopping food waste in their communities into their own hands by helping and donating to local food banks. Future food security depends on creating a sustainable food system that can provide healthy affordable diets for a growing population while minimizing enviormental damage (Macdiarmid). For America and other countries to overcome food waste people will have to work together to prevent food waste and make earth a safer and healthier planet.
Works Cited
Charlebois, Sylvain, Amy Creedy, and Mike von Massow. “”Back of House” – Focused Study on Food Waste in Fine Dining: The Case of Delish Restaurants.” International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research 9.3 (2015): 278-91. ProQuest. Web. 19 Feb. 2018.
Lukic, R., Kljenak, D. V., & Jovancevic, D. (2014). RETAIL FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT. Management Research and Practice, 6(4), 23-39.
Macdiarmid, Jennie I., Tim Lang, and Andy Haines. “Down with Food Waste.” BMJ: British Medical Journal (Online) 352 (2016) ProQuest. Web. 19 Feb. 2018.
McClellan, Jennifer. “That’s how Much Food American Consumers Wasted in 2010. A Food Bank in Nogales, Arizona, is Trying to Change that.” Arizona Republic Mar 05 2017. ProQuest. Web. 19 Feb. 2018.
“Wasted: 6M Tons of Food.” Daily Breeze Apr 03, 2010. ProQuest. Web. 19 Feb. 2018
“‘What a Waste’ Report Shows Alarming Rise in Amount, Costs of Garbage.” World Bank. N.p., 6 June 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2018.
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