The amount of perfectly good food that Americans throw away every year is enough to feed dozens of smaller countries and the federal government says it’s time to cut the waste dramatically.
Advertisement
USDA says food loss and waste accounts for approximately 31 percent – or 133 billion pounds – of the overall food supply available to retailers and consumers and has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation and climate change.
“Reducing food waste at all levels in the food chain – farm, factory, store and home – is certainly one of those issues with economic and emotional appeal”, she said.
The announcement comes a week before world leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to address sustainable development practices, including sustainable production and consumption.
Today, representatives from the USDA and EPA announced the first-ever national food waste reduction goal, calling for a 50% reduction by 2030.
He outlined the new goal after touring a food rescue facility in Long Island City, Queens, run by City Harvest.
“Twenty-one per cent of all the waste in landfills is food”, EPA Deputy Administrator Stan Meiburg said.
Adjust portion and packaging sizes: The French proposal points out that significant consumer food waste is driven by large portion sizes, all-you-can-eat dining formats, and very large package sizes for grocery products. “This announcement presents a major environmental, social and public health opportunity for the US, and we’re proud to be part of a national effort to reduce the food that goes into landfills”.
While everyone agrees that such waste does not make sense while people are hungry in other areas of the U.S., the critical thing is improving shopping for groceries and promotion of ways to minimize food waste.
The U.S. has already taken steps toward the goal. A cluster of proposed measures would foster food waste teaching curriculum from elementary school through high school, training for foodservice workers, and innovative campaigns that engage the broader French public in understanding and reducing food waste. By the end of 2014, the program had more than 4,000 active participants, well surpassing its initial goal of reaching 1,000 participants by 2020.
Vilsack said other nations waste similar amounts and the U.S. must lead a global effort to use food more efficiently.
Advertisement
It collects excess restaurant food for food banks and soup kitchens. In addition, a new section on ChooseMyPlate.gov will educate consumers about reducing food waste to help stretch household budgets. The fact is that American households throw out an average of $640 worth of food annually. This proposal would establish a hierarchy for how wasted food should be handled. In the U.S., most wasted food is landfilled and once there, emits the powerful greenhouse gas methane.
