Bridging the Gap Between Food Insecurity and Food Waste in the U.S. – Can We Do It?
Introduction
Hunger and malnutrition are not issues of supply but rather issues of distribution. I hope to shed light onto whether the nutritional needs of a malnourished population in the U.S. can be met with the surplus of nutritional food that could be diverted from waste. The main problems include the poor nutritional value of food currently distributed to food insecure populations and the barriers to salvaging surplus nutritious food and distributing it to food recovery networks.
Food Insecurity in the U.S.
- 14% of U.S. households were food insecure in 2014
- Food insecurity not only includes lacking enough food but also includes lacking enough nutrition within what is consumed
- The U.S. is experiencing a hidden hunger, where many people are eating calorie dense but nutrient poor foods, where they are lacking essential vitamins and minerals
Food Waste in the U.S.
- 40% of food in the U.S. is never eaten
- Reducing this waste by a mere 15% has the potential to feed 25 million people
Nutritional Analysis of Food in Soup Kitchens
- One meal is inadequate in meeting the estimated average requirement (EAR) but two meals do meet the requirements for all nutrients except fiber
- Low-nutrient dense food served in soup kitchens can result in obesity and chronic disease in an already food insecure population
Distribution Issues and Areas of Potential Growth
- Top barriers for businesses to donate their surplus food → perceived risk of liability, inconvenient methods of donation, and limited ability of food recovery networks to collect and store food
- Solutions → educating businesses of the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act and providing support to food recovery networks to collect and store donations on a consistent basis
- Funding for more transportation and storage equipment = ability to collect highly nutritious, perishable items
Conclusion
Once again, hunger and malnutrition are not issues of supply but rather issues of distribution. There is a paradox between food waste in the U.S and a food insecure population. There are ways in which to successfully intervene in food waste so as utilize already existing resources and create a more food secure country. There simply needs to be movements that bridge the gap between the two.
If you want to read my full paper you can access it here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nDWIdURtE6of4q_fBv9THeOyL12oE870XHM7dBTIvz4/pub
it'd be interesting to see what would happen if laws were implemented in the States as they have been in Europe to address this issue. i.e.
Italy to change law to make all supermarkets give unsold food to needy
French law forbids food waste by supermarkets
It would be interesting! Though I think that its a bit ridiculous that many grocery stores don't already donate their surpluses and that such a law needs to be put into place to see changes happen.
absolutely. but they are so concerned about liability.
I'm not sure if there are similar laws in other countries but the U.S. has the Good Samaritan Act of 1996 that exempts donors from liability for food donations except for in cases of gross negligence.
The statistics about how much food gets wasted rather than eaten are very sad. Thanks for shedding light on this subject!
It is sad! But since 30-50% of food that makes it to the grocery stores is thrown out by people in their own homes, it means that an individual can make a difference in food waste just by changing their consumption and waste patterns and that change is not limited just to those who work on a political/legislative level :-)
I try to use all the food I buy and grow and I compost what I can't use. I realize that only helps me really but I do donate my excess garden produce to a local food bank.
That is wonderful! I think that if each person does their part it helps everyone. The world is made up of individuals so it is up to each of us to make the world into that in which we want to live in, and it sounds like you are doing an amazing job at that :-)