I contribute to food waste. I am one of the 30% to 40% of Americans who waste food that we buy. I don’t do it deliberately; I do it out of my ignorance about the huge problem it is. Consider this: We are now 7 billion people on this planet, 852 million are hungry and 45% of the deaths of children under five years globally are due to poor nutrition. In the US, one in four children goes hungry.
Yet, I, who has access to enough food, waste it. I buy more than I consume and I cook more than I or my guests eat. I throw out edible leftovers; I buy in bulk because it is cheaper and then it goes bad; I forget to use foods until they go beyond their perishable date; and the list goes on..
Here are some facts from the Natural Resources Defense Council: “Getting food from the farm to our fork eats up 10 percent of the total U.S. energy budget, uses 50 percent of U.S. land, and swallows 80 percent of all freshwater consumed in the United States. Yet, 40 percent of food in the United States today goes uneaten. This not only means that Americans are throwing out the equivalent of $165 billion each year, but also that the uneaten food ends up rotting in landfills as the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste where it accounts for a large portion of U.S. methane emissions. Reducing food losses by just 15 percent would be enough food to feed more than 25 million Americans every year at a time when one in six Americans lack a secure supply of food to their tables”.
Grocery stores have lots of foods that need to be taken off shelves daily: stock that needs to rotate, surplus food like bananas that are starting to have brown spots, or refrigerated items that need to move for the new product coming in. Food products make up 63 percent of a supermarket’s disposed waste stream, according to a California Integrated Waste Management Board industry study.
It’s true that many grocery stores are donating foods that are not used to food banks and other food recovery groups in their community. However, the bulk of the foods donated include breads, cakes, and dented cans, but perishable food like produce and meats are not donated due in part to concerns about liability if the food causes illness. However, Bill Emerson Federal Good Samaritan Food Donation Act in 1996, was designed to protect those establishments and individual donors from criminal and civil liability, should any recipients become ill from food donation. State laws have been in place long before that which protect donors and encourage donation. None of the laws have ever been challenged. http://www.alternet.org/story/146487/how_the_top_5_supermarkets_waste_food
So what can you do about food waste? It’s not easy but you can change your personal food wasting habit. I find that keeping the fact that 1 in 4 children in America are going hungry in the forefront of my mind helps me to be grateful for what I have and to be a prudent shopper and cook. You can also shop at those grocery stores that are actively involved in distributing to food recover groups. Ask the store manager where you shop about their food recovery donations and if they include produce and perishables. Educate them if they do not and tell your friends to also inquire. You may be positively surprised by the impact a few informed shoppers can have.
Another helpful avenue to pursue is food composting. In Tampa, where I live, the Hillsborough County Extension Office gives away one free compost bin and thermometer for attending a “Compost Happens Workshop”. Other cities like San Francisco and Seattle have adopted roles that mandate recycling of food waste from homes. Seattle has a Master Composter/Soil Builder Volunteer Program that is a key partner in the city’s waste reduction and recycling efforts. These volunteers provide community outreach, demonstrations and educational support to residents to recycle organic wastes in their own backyards. They attend 28 hours of training that include classroom learning and field trips in a variety of resource conservations practices from small-scale composting to managing stormwater to teaching others about the practices. Contact for more information [email protected].
I am planning breakfast on the beach next weekend with friends and I am making Spinach and Brie Frittata out of the wilting spinach and leftover bits of brie in my fridge and it will be super delicious because I got creative with my leftovers instead of throwing them out. It’s also good cold so even the leftovers from the leftovers can be eaten then next day.
RECIPE SPINACH & BRIE FRITTATA (From http://recipes.epicurean.com)
Serves 6
- 3 cups sliced mushrooms
- 6 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped chives
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 9 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- dash of pepper
- 1/2 cup milk or cream
- 6 Tablespoons Brie cheese
- 1/4 cup sherry
- 3 cups grated jack cheese
Directions:
Saute mushrooms in butter, lay spinach on top of mushrooms, then add nutmeg and sherry. When spinach is limp, remove from heat. Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Place mushrooms-spinach in oiled baking dish. Pour eggs on top. Add small chunks of Brie and grated cheese. Top with chives. Bake 45 to 60 minutes at 325 degrees until puffy and golden.