Unnecessary food waste is harming America

It’s no secret that Americans love food.

We devote TV channels, magazines, and blogs to the topic, and we frequently share pictures of artfully-prepared dishes on our social media.

Additionally, the average American citizen ate about 1996.3 lbs- almost a metric ton- in 2011, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

However, not all the food that we produce ends up a part of that number.

52.4 million tons of food is sent to a landfill each year, and an additional 10.1 million tons stays unharvested at a farm, according to reFED.

That’s enough to feed at least 63.5 million Americans at the average rate each year, a larger group than the 48.1 million Americans who lived in food-insecure households in 2014, according to A Beginner’s Guide to Food Waste.

This wasted food makes up 40% of the total amount of food produced in America each year, according to the National Resource Defense Council, and costs us $218 billion a year, according to reFED.

The production of uneaten food in America also has an environmental impact, as it uses 21% of fresh water, 19% of fertilizer, 18% of farming land, and 21% of landfills.

Furthermore, when uneaten food is left to pile up in landfills, it is forced to decay anaerobically, producing the greenhouse gas methane, according to the MIT Department of Biology.

This is very dangerous, as methane has 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

It’s estimated that the elimination of food waste would have the same effect on the environment as removing 25% of cars from America.

So unnecessary food waste is not only taking meals from food insecure Americans, it is also costing us large sums of money and leaving harmful gases in the air we breathe.

So, how do we reduce the food we waste?

There are many components to a solution for farms, manufacturers, supermarkets, and restaurants.

In the homes, the solution is simple- the amount of food that is needlessly purchased and then thrown away must be reduced.

55% of food purchases are unplanned, according to reFED.

This impulsive shopping leads to an excess of food, which leads to an excess of waste.

By planning trips to the supermarket and only purchasing what you can actually eat, you can reduce the amount of food you send to the landfill.

Additionally, many consumers do not understand when their food actually goes bad due to a lack of standardization in date labels.

Arbitrary terms like “sell by,” “use by,” “freeze by,” and “enjoy by” are confusing to consumers, leading many to throw away perfectly good food.

91% of Americans have thrown away food past its “sell by” date out of fear for their safety, according to the Food Marketing Institute.

This isn’t surprising, considering that 25% of Americans believe the term “sell by” indicates the day that the food can last be safely eaten.

In the world of food manufacturing, these terms are considered interchangeable, and the meaning of them can vary from product to product, according to The Dating Game.

However, the safety of most foods is not affected by their age, eliminating the need for such a date according to the Organic Trade Association.

Therefore, Americans must be knowledgeable about the food they purchase, and research its shelf life independently.

By reducing the amount of food we put in the trash, we can save money, resources, and life saving meals for those who need them.