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| from EPA |
Food waste includes unsold food from retail stores; plate waste, uneaten prepared food, or kitchen trimmings from restaurants, cafeterias, and households; or by-products from food and beverage processing facilities. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption worldwide in 2011 was lost or wasted. The United States level of food waste is a lower percentage because we generate so much more other waste. Our total food waste per person is 0.67 pounds per person per day.
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| from EPA |
Food's carbon footprint, or the greenhouse gas emissions produced by growing, rearing, farming, processing, transporting, storing, cooking and disposing of the food you eat is huge. According to data from Climate Change News, without accounting for GHG emissions from land use change, the carbon footprint of food produced and not eaten is estimated to be about 9% of mankind’s CO2 equivalent generation. If it was a nation, food waste would ranks as the third largest carbon emitter after China and the U.S.
In our changing climate and the growing population’s increased need for food highlights the need for a more sustainable food system or at least one that can feed more people and have a smaller impact on the planet. The largest environmental impact from food comes from the production and consumption of meat and dairy products. In case you haven’t noticed the meme is to eat a mostly vegetable based diet, for your health and the impact on the environment. However, start by reducing your food waste before you change your diet.
When you get around to thinking about your diet, I like Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules,” as a guide to eating. Mr. Pollan says "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." By “Eat food" he means to eat real food -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fish and meat -- and to avoid what Mr. Pollan calls "edible food-like substances." I encourage you to also read the Omnivoure’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
Nonetheless, the easiest way to reduce the environmental footprint of what you eat is to reduce your food waste. There are many source of food waste in the food chain, but let’s start with ourselves. The factors that generate household food waste are multi-faceted and complex, the EPA has a series of tips on how you can reduce your food waste. Instead of studying the charts and suggestions, why don’t you consider taking the food waste challenge from the EPA which entails some real work: measuring your actual food waste, then implementing strategies to improve your behavior while continuing to measure your food waste.
In our changing climate and the growing population’s increased need for food highlights the need for a more sustainable food system or at least one that can feed more people and have a smaller impact on the planet. The largest environmental impact from food comes from the production and consumption of meat and dairy products. In case you haven’t noticed the meme is to eat a mostly vegetable based diet, for your health and the impact on the environment. However, start by reducing your food waste before you change your diet.
When you get around to thinking about your diet, I like Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules,” as a guide to eating. Mr. Pollan says "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." By “Eat food" he means to eat real food -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fish and meat -- and to avoid what Mr. Pollan calls "edible food-like substances." I encourage you to also read the Omnivoure’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
Nonetheless, the easiest way to reduce the environmental footprint of what you eat is to reduce your food waste. There are many source of food waste in the food chain, but let’s start with ourselves. The factors that generate household food waste are multi-faceted and complex, the EPA has a series of tips on how you can reduce your food waste. Instead of studying the charts and suggestions, why don’t you consider taking the food waste challenge from the EPA which entails some real work: measuring your actual food waste, then implementing strategies to improve your behavior while continuing to measure your food waste.
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