Food Waste?
If there's something I really hate, that's waste, and not because I'm a money-grubber or skinflint, or miser, but because it's stupid. Why waste something when you can use it elsewhere or reuse it, recycle it?
Doing my usual daily round on the internet, the other day I came across an article that stuck in my mind. Edible Coating Can Keep Food Fresh Longer And Cut Down On Waste
According to this article:
In America alone, the National Resources Defense Council estimates that as much as 40 percent of the food people buy ends up in the trash, not to mention the perfectly-good food that never leaves the grocery store or even the farm. source
When I see articles like this and numbers like that one, I can't stop thinking, why? Why are people doing this? Why are people so ignorant?
I'm not going to preach about how many people are dying due to hunger worldwide, we all know the numbers.There's no much that can be done to avoid waste.
I've been to a fast food recently and wile waiting for my order I saw one of the employee cleaning trays from leftovers. She was basically dumping all the food (sandwiches, french fries, chicken, pork etc.) into the trash, along with paper napkins and other empty packaging materials. All into the garbage. With a bit of organizing, those leftovers could have been the food for a few animals.
Others have worked out a system to minimize food waste and to feed those in need. I've seen in Italy a non profit organization working with volunteers set up a table at the corner of the market, where vendors could drop off fruits and vegetables that they thought would not sell any more. All the products were perfectly good, it's just that wouldn't resist another day. Poor people were gathering at the end of the day to get free fruits and vegetables still good for consumption. Each person would get veggies for a soup or another dish and the remaining quantity was taken to the kitchen they were running, to make something out of it.
The other smart thing they did was to contact restaurants that were hosting weddings and other events where food was served. They had an understanding, the restaurant would call them at the end of the event and let them know how much food is unserved, so they can take it. This way a number of families in need can have a free meal. All it takes is a bit of brain, willingness and organizing.
So back to the article, it looks like food can be kept fresh a bit longer than before, thanks to this new invention.
A Californian startup called Apeel Sciences developed a thin, transparent, edible coating that can keep food fresh much longer than normal. source
This coat can prevent water from evaporating and can block oxygen from reacting with the food. I can see this very helpful when it comes to fruits and vegetables, it's already in use by grocery chains Kroger, Costco, and Harps Food. Let's hope this new development paired with a better management can cut down food waste.
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I really appreciate it.
I can give you my short answer to why we waste so much.
Because in most cases it is more profitable for those in food business to waste it.
Its that simple, someone is making more money the more food we waste.
In my opinion are these "solutions" part of the problem. Everyone is in need of food and we should not create systems where people who have too much can decide when we should dump the food waste on the "poor", just so we can feel a little bit better when we continue to buy more food.
The people who have too much should eat the food waste first, as they have a choice when consuming. Only when the problem is on your own doorstep will do something about it.
Well, there's a misunderstanding here. These people were not doing it just to feel better. These were restaurants and the food was not served because either was too much or people did not come to the event.
I'm trying to explain my view of the food waste issue in general, not commenting this particular event.
So to make it maybe more clear:
Posted using Partiko Android
I agree with you @erikah
Something that can be used and used again is in vain, if we just throw it away. I personally have never done this, because in my opinion something is very valuable and we must use it for our needs and without realizing we have become people who are creative in some way.
Thanks for this @erikah
I once asked at a supermarket for spoiled fruits and vegetables so that I could start a composter for my garden and I was told that they used to give those items to people to feed horses and such, but that a person ate something, got sick and sued the store. Now they lock the dumpster that those discarded items go into.
I did see a very good documentary (It could have been Just Eat It), where a couple survive six months on discarded food. You'd be amazed at what they pull out of the trash.
I also saw a tv show of people living basically with what they could collect from these dumpsters, they were called dumpster divers.
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