A tremendous amount of food is wasted. According to this report:
Hard data is still being collected, but experts at the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit in Chicago this week said an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of the food produced in the world goes uneaten.
Some more details from the piece:
The average American throws away 33 pounds of food each month -- about $40 worth -- according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, which plans to publish a report on food waste in April.
In a year, that means each person throws away almost 400 pounds of food, the weight of an adult male gorilla.
This has huge consequences, for example for resources:
Agriculture is the world's largest user of water, a big consumer of energy and chemicals and major emitter of greenhouse gases during production, distribution and landfill decay.
On the other hand, Americans have notoriously been getting fatter, which produces a host of other problems.
What can we do about it?
1. Buy less. That has been the reaction of some:
"We forget we have all these fresh fruits and vegetables, and at the end of the week we have to throw them away," said Esther Gove, a mother of three young children in South Berwick, Maine. "Now, I don't buy as much fresh produce as I used to."
It is important to be realistic about what you will and will not eat.
2. Use a fruit bowl or platter.
If you see it, you're much more likely to eat it. After a while it becomes second nature to reach for a banana or a few grapes.
3. Use smaller plates Over the last twenty to thirty years, plate have increased in diameter from 9 inches to 12 inches. Those who remember geometry - and pi day was just yesterday - will realize that this is an increase of nearly 80% (1.33^2 - 1.00).
4. Have good storage containers.
Just a few suggestions from a world citizen. Please, add your own below!
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