2008 Woodie Awards
American throwaway society could feed many around world
Alakananada Mookerjee
Issue date: 9/20/05 Section: Opinion & Editorial
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A former roommate of mine liked to keep a neat and tidy house. Very well. She took out the garbage whenever the need arose. And sometimes, even when it didn't. Only, she didn't always take out what the world ordinarily calls trash.
After days of seeing her discard what appeared to be perfectly edible grub, I took the liberty of asking her, "Are you going to throw all that away?" With, a nonchalant shrug, she replied, "I forgot to eat them, and now they've gone past the expiration date."
Stale or not, the foodstuff was forced to march to the dumpster.
America is a throw-away society where disposing-of is virtually a national obsession. Just about everything under the sun is considered disposable in the Land of Plenty, from furniture to DVDs.
Last, but not least, food.
Back in 1997, the U.S. Department of Agriculture did some research to determine the scale of food waste in the United States. It found that 27 percent of the 356 billion pounds of edible food available for human consumption were lost. A whopping 96 billion pounds went to waste!
Food loss occurs at every level of the food system: first, on the farms; second, during storage, processing and handling, and lastly, in grocery stores, cafeterias, caterers, restaurants, convenience stores and homes.
Big supermarkets add to the waste by discarding post-holiday seasonal stuff like Halloween cookies. A fat chunk of stock is removed from shelves because they reach their sell-by dates. A lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and bakery products are lost this way. Nonperishable packaged items are chucked primarily for cosmetic reasons. Canned goods, breakfast cereals, pasta, crackers and pre-cooked food are thrown away because their containers are crushed or dented. Basically, they are out because they don't make for attractive display.
Food that is ordered by customers in restaurants but is left untouched results in what is known asplate waste. A colossal waste takes place via this route. Also, food service establishments dump surplus food that is not sold.
After days of seeing her discard what appeared to be perfectly edible grub, I took the liberty of asking her, "Are you going to throw all that away?" With, a nonchalant shrug, she replied, "I forgot to eat them, and now they've gone past the expiration date."
Stale or not, the foodstuff was forced to march to the dumpster.
America is a throw-away society where disposing-of is virtually a national obsession. Just about everything under the sun is considered disposable in the Land of Plenty, from furniture to DVDs.
Last, but not least, food.
Back in 1997, the U.S. Department of Agriculture did some research to determine the scale of food waste in the United States. It found that 27 percent of the 356 billion pounds of edible food available for human consumption were lost. A whopping 96 billion pounds went to waste!
Food loss occurs at every level of the food system: first, on the farms; second, during storage, processing and handling, and lastly, in grocery stores, cafeterias, caterers, restaurants, convenience stores and homes.
Big supermarkets add to the waste by discarding post-holiday seasonal stuff like Halloween cookies. A fat chunk of stock is removed from shelves because they reach their sell-by dates. A lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and bakery products are lost this way. Nonperishable packaged items are chucked primarily for cosmetic reasons. Canned goods, breakfast cereals, pasta, crackers and pre-cooked food are thrown away because their containers are crushed or dented. Basically, they are out because they don't make for attractive display.
Food that is ordered by customers in restaurants but is left untouched results in what is known asplate waste. A colossal waste takes place via this route. Also, food service establishments dump surplus food that is not sold.