The Importance Of Food Waste In America

The USDA claims that each year, 25.9 million tons of America’s food is thrown away, the equivalent to a quarter of the total amount produced. Nationally, the wasted food is a damaging financial setback, amounting to $1 billion just to get rid of during a time of ascending food prices, nonetheless (Oliver, 2007). Food waste has skyrocketed since 1970 at an astonishing 50% increase rate, yet according to the FAO, one-sixth of America doesn’t get enough to eat.

With the seemingly unstoppable growth of the world’s population and a projected global population of nine billion by 2050, the matter of whether or not there will be enough food to support the world’s populace is brought into question (Parfitt, et al., 2010). However, amid the concern for an adequate food supply, there is an immense amount of food waste produced by the world, including the United States. In fact, “according to the Natural Resources Defense Council as much as 40 percent of all food produced in the United States never gets eaten and typically ends up in the landfills or goes unharvested in the field “(King, 2015).

The United States of America is arguably known as one of the most cultural and distinguished places around the world when dealing with food. There are so many contributions that give people this impression. People look at the United States as if it has the ideal method on how to deal with food, not knowing that the United States of America is quite wasteful. Although the United States of America has this awe-inspiring impression on people, you should not be fooled. America is a leading country for food waste, this is problematic because there are millions of people in this country that could use this food, and it is also harmful to the environment. In fact the United States of America ruins so much food it can fill up to seven hundred and thirty football stadiums. About as much as forty percent of food in America goes uneaten giving me the impression that America is wasteful when it comes to dealing with food.

A growing issue about food waste is at hand in Canada, and citizens should seek methods in order to reduce this. Personally I think people are blindfolded as to how much they are contributing to this matter and the future consequences they may face. At the rate this issue is escalating it is affecting the planet adversely, therefore efforts should be made by each individual. To reduce food waste, it is necessary to be organized which could be done so by preserving, shopping better and visibility.

Every year, prosperous countries tend to throw out large amounts of edible food. This wasted food primarily comes from people throwing out fresh food at home and at restaurants as well as large companies, such as grocery stores, throwing out edible food. Many people and companies would confess to being guilty of this. Throwing out a piece of fruit or leftovers may seem harmless but it eventually adds up. The worlds large population makes this an issue creating enormous numbers of waste that could be food for starving people.

I have been doing research on food waste in Athens, Ohio. The goal of my research is to find a plausible solution to the waste. To begin the gathering of information, I searched through the Ohio University ArticlesPlus Database to find any journals that I could find pertaining to the state of America’s food waste, how we can make a difference, and what has already been implemented to make a change. This was my way of looking at the amount of food wasted from a bigger perspective. I found four sources on the issue as a whole, to which I have included in my annotated bibliography. All sources have a primary focus on statistics of food waste in America, and finding a solution to the problem that we have created. The statistics

When I was little I was never able to finish my food, and my mom would always tell me that I should always finish my food because not everybody has a chance to eat. Food wasting in america is well talked about problem with $165 million dollars worth of food is being wasted every year. Food wasting in america can be caused by many things, but three main reasons are overstocking their produce, misconceptions with the due date, and business.

Have you ever thought food waste is a really severe problem? I think food waste is a big problem because a lot of families are without food and I don’t want families to starve. Up to forty percent of food in the United States is wasted. Also one in eight families struggle to put food on the table. Article two. Sixty-two million tons of food is wasted every year. Globally up to one-third of all food is spoiled. Article one. Food waste is the biggest occupant in America's landfills. 160 billion dollars is wasted on food waste. Article three.

In this summary I will briefly explain the entirety of my senior project essay which has to do with food waste. I will talk about four major sections in which I divided my senior project into to help me write it. First was how much food is wasted not just here in the U.S. alone, but the world in general, second describes the negative affects food waste has in the world, third explains and gives reasons why some of this food goes to waste, and finally the final section gives the reader information on how we as individuals and as a nation combined can reduce the amount of food waste.

None (2015), " Food waste in America amounts to $162 billion and between 31% to 40% of American food supply goes to waste, primarily in homes, stores and restaurants, according to a new study.” (Food waste costs North America $162 billion). The article goes on to say that food waste causes a tremendous strain on the environment and that “approximately 30% of the fertilizer, 35% of the fresh water and 31% of the cropland” was used to develop the food that is eventually wasted (None, 2015). Knowing these facts it is time for a product such as the Rancid Remover to come out front and center. There is no competitive product currently on the market making the Rancid Remover a pioneer in its field.

There are billions of people struggling every day to have enough to eat, and billions of tons of food being tossed in the garbage, food waste is gaining increasing awareness as a serious environmental and economic issue. Research shows that about 60 million metric tons of food is wasted a year in the United States, with an estimated value of $162 billion. About 32 million tons of it end up in landfills, at a cost of about $1.5 billion a year to local government this economic crisis is worldwide! My research estimates that a third of all the food produced in the world is never consumed, and the total cost of that food waste could be as high as $400 billion a year. The food discarded by retailers and consumers in the most developed countries would be more than enough to feed all of the world’s hungry people, but it is not just those countries that have problems with food waste, it is also an issue in African countries like South Africa. The problem is expected to grow worse as the world’s population increases, unless actions are taken to reduce the waste. Food waste is not only a social cost, but it contributes to growing environmental problems like global warming, experts say, with the production of food consuming vast quantities of water, fertilizer and land. The fuel that is burned to process, refrigerate and transport it also adds to the environmental cost. Most food waste is thrown away in landfills, where it decomposes and emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

“Reducing food waste in the United States requires changes in the way it is produced, stored, processed, distributed and consumed.”

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates 30% to 40% of our food is "lost" (any amount of edible food available for human consumption but is not consumed for any reason) or "wasted" (a component of food loss that occurs when an edible food item goes unconsumed due to rejection by retailers or consumer plate waste) because it is discarded into a landfill. At the same time about 14% of U.S. households are food insecure, meaning they do not always have access to food. There are charitable organizations that can pick up and deliver surplus food to food banks but this can be expensive and a food bank may not be near those in need. There are many stakeholders who have opportunities to reduce waste but at the present time there are a limited number of policies to address this issue. Three policy options are a good starting point: 1. consumer education to prevent food waste, 2. expansion of business tax benefits for food donations, and 3. grant funding for organizations that transport food donations.

As society expands, it is critical to seek ways to lessen humans’ environmental impact. A key aspect of practicing sustainability is efficiently using resources, and one of such resources is food. In America alone, about 40% of food goes uneaten, and as the population increases, pressures on managing this waste will only increase further (Buzby, et al. 499). With many Americans lacking a secure supply of food, the need for an improved ability to manage food waste is essential. Furthermore, food waste places a severe strain on the environment. In an article by Buzby, Hyman, Stewart, and Wells, they state, “Food loss at the retail and consumer levels represents significant amounts of money and other resources invested in food production, including land, fresh water, labor, energy, agricultural chemicals (e.g., fertilizer, pesticides) and other inputs to produce food that does not ultimately meet its intended purpose of feeding people” (Buzby, et al. 492). It is clear that the problems with food waste are immense, ranging from environmental to economic.

There are billions of people struggling every day to have enough to eat, and billions of tons of food being tossed in the garbage, food waste is gaining increasing awareness as a serious environmental and economic issue. Research shows that about 60 million metric tons of food is wasted a year in the United States, with an estimated value of $162 billion. About 32 million tons of it end up in landfills, at a cost of about $1.5 billion a year to local government this economic crisis is worldwide! My research estimates that a third of all the food produced in the world is never consumed, and the total cost of that food waste could be as high as $400 billion a year. The food discarded by retailers and consumers in the most developed countries would be more than enough to feed all of the world’s hungry people, but it is not just those countries that have problems with food waste, it is also an issue in African countries like South Africa. The problem is expected to grow worse as the world’s population increases, unless actions are taken to reduce the waste. Food waste is not only a social cost, but it contributes to growing environmental problems like global warming, experts say, with the production of food consuming vast quantities of water, fertilizer and land. The fuel that is burned to process, refrigerate and transport it also adds to the environmental cost. Most food waste is thrown away in landfills, where it decomposes and emits methane, a potent