Food Waste Reconsidered – Part 1
by Helge Hellberg | May 15th, 2009Up to 20% of all foods that are grown and produced do not meet strict market requirements and usually end up being plowed under or considered “waste” – produce that is crooked or discolored, a mislabeled container of yogurt, a zucchini that has grown too large, too fast. Another 10%-20% is being trimmed off or thrown out at retail stores and restaurants – the stem of a broccoli, the outside leaves of a head of salad, food too close to the expiration date.
And if this was not enough, of all the food we buy, another 20% goes to waste at the household level – the liter of spoiled milk, a two week old half-empty jar of tomato sauce, or the carrots that have gotten so soft you can bend them around your head. So, of all foods that are grown and produced in the United States, only a little more than half actually ends up in our stomachs – that’s a lot of food being wasted!
Local agriculture and local initiatives often make use of “food waste” – such as San Francisco Food Runners (http://www.foodrunners.org), a program that picks up excess perishable and prepared food from businesses such as restaurants, caterers, bakeries, hospitals, events, corporate cafeterias and hotels, and delivers it directly to shelters and neighborhood programs that feed the hungry; or the Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program, which adds “seconds” to the weekly order from local schools, enabling 12,000 children to have access to local organic foods – all while working within the schools’ tight food budgets (http://www.marinorganic.org/organic_school_lunch.php).
What else can we do? Share your best tips on what you do at home to avoid food “waste”.
(Just a few days ago, I roasted the leaves of a beet in the oven, added a tad of salt and a sprinkle of olive oil, and they turned into crispy homemade chips – yum!)
In older time I know a great farmer, my grandfather. He had a farm with sheeps,cows,poultrys and horses and he worked original by hand.
When I grown up I left on his farm and I learned a lot of farming, food and living together with animals.
So, it is very important to know, where we are, where we come, what we eat and to return to the nature.
Congratulation to this informing radio-show and
conversation.
I spoke with a third grade teacher today who described her recent class project on food waste. They got the gloves out, and went through the school garbage after lunch. Emptying yogurt containers, freeing sandwich remains from their wraps, untouched apples. . . it all got dumped into a bucket and weighed. A hefty 50 lbs. from one meal.
The children calculated the potential waste throughout the county, state and nation, and presented their findings to the school body and administration. The report included the number of hungry people in third world countries. To date, the audience’s response did not impress the students.
I wondered if this could be revisited slightly differently.
Every hungry child matters. However, highlighting the population of undernourished children within the school’s town, within their county, might surprise and inspire. There is much to be said in favor of our internet connectivity, but our ability to leap over the local has dulled our senses and taken away our power. Witnessing inspires action and promotes organic change. Anonymous narrations, the telling of the community’s truest story might help complete the circle of sustainability we seek. Let’s fuel these kids with local food-for-thought and watch what happens. . .
BigDog…
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