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 $165billion 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 almost 25
percent of U.S. methane emissions.
Reducing food
losses by just 15 percent would be enough food to feed more than 25 million
Americans, producing an extra $24billion opportunity in sales every year,
at a time when one in six Americans lack a secure supply of food to their
tables.
Increasing the
efficiency of our food system is a triple-bottom-line solution that requires
collaborative efforts by businesses, governments and consumers.
The U.S.
government should conduct a comprehensive study of losses in our food system
and set national goals for waste reduction
Businesses
should seize opportunities to streamline their own operations, reduce food
losses and save
money; and
consumers can waste less food by shopping wisely, knowing when food goes bad,
buying produce that
is perfectly
edible even if it’s less cosmetically attractive, cooking only the amount of
food they need, and eating
their leftovers.