Abby Frey
Food waste is a serious problem that affects the economy, environment, and society. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food waste (FW) can be estimated to equal about 30-40% of all food produced. On a societal level, it is frustrating that wasted food is sent to landfills when there are people who don’t have access to food. On an economic level, FW creates an imbalance in the cost of production - not only is food being wasted, but so is the money that gets it to our homes, restaurants, and stores. On an environmental level, the energy and natural resources that it takes to produce all the food we waste are being misused. With natural resources depleting from human use, it is essential that we fully use the products of these resources. Another environmental effect of FW is the overproduction of methane in landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 58% of methane produced from landfills is a result of FW. Food breaks down quickly in landfills, so many landfill gas collection systems are too slow to collect the methane emissions from FW.
Since looking at some effects of FW, it is important to evaluate what causes it. As we know, food can spoil; this can happen at any point in the supply chain and food production process. A lot of produce can be damaged from high temperatures, insects and pests, and more when on the journey from farms. At the retail stage of production, produce can be negatively affected by malfunctioning equipment or over-ordering. On the consumer level, consumers like you and me produce food waste by buying more food than we need and throwing out food we weren’t able to eat before it ‘went bad.’ Causes of FW are not limited to one factor; retail may decide to put out produce or other products that may look defective, but are perfectly fine to eat. Consumers may be put off because most believe any visible defect makes food unsafe to eat.
Since there are many industries, people, and societal standards that contribute to food waste, it is complicated to find an effective way to reduce FW. As mentioned previously, defective produce and other food are at a higher risk of being wasted. Multiple grocery delivery services, like Misfits Market, were created to help reduce FW and make food systems more efficient. You can go online and create a subscription with them and they send a box of defective, but safe to eat, food that would otherwise get wasted. Their slogan is “Cut your grocery bill and your food waste.” Services like Misfits Market can help to reduce FW while also devaluing the societal standard that all food needs to look perfect to be safe to eat. In 2016, the EPA and USDA teamed up to create the U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion program, which encourages businesses and organizations to publicly pledge to reduce their FW by 50% by 2030. This program provides accountability for these businesses and organizations to be more intentional about their own operations and address climate change.
Citations
Environmental Protection Agency. (2024, January 22). Quantifying Methane Emissions from
Landfilled Food Waste. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/land-resea...
quantifying-methane-emissions-landfilled-food-waste
Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, April 4). United States 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food
United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Food Waste FAQs. USDA.