Have you ever thrown away produce because it wasn’t a suitable color or shape, or thrown away a can of soup because it was past the printed  “best by” date? Have you ever wondered what restaurants do with leftover food or food that has spoiled? According to the NRDC, roughly 40% of food grown, processed and distributed in the United States will go to waste (Gunders 2017). This is hard to believe considering that every day, 42 million people go hungry and struggle to sustain themselves let alone the people around them. This harsh reality is the result of many failures within the food industry, and we are all partially to blame. Perfectly good food is constantly and mindlessly wasted at every stage of distribution; on the farm, during processing, at the store, and during consumption within our own households. Food waste refers to the wastage of food throughout the food supply chain. Although many do not realize it, food waste is an extremely prominent injustice in our society that has lasting and damaging effects on the economy, the environment and on people. 

Food waste has a damaging effect on the environment. When food is wasted, it typically travels to landfills, where it makes up a large percentage of the waste being stored. When that organic material gets buried, it decomposes and releases methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. In 2007, a report from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that the carbon footprint of food waste was 7% of all global emissions (About Food Waste). According to the United Kingdom’s Food Waste Recycling Action Plan (WRAP), if organic matter including food waste were eliminated from landfills, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be the equivalent of removing 20% of all the cars in the country from the road. These emissions can have harmful effects on the environment that include global warming and the destruction of natural ecosystems. In addition to the increase in carbon emissions, food loss wastes many natural resources. The growing of food requires a variety of resources such as freshwater, oil, and land. With agriculture accounting for 70 percent of the water used throughout the world, food waste represents a great waste of freshwater and groundwater. In addition, large amounts of land are wasted to grow food that is never eaten. According to Olio, a group dedicated to reducing food waste,  “It takes a landmass larger than China to grow the food each year that is ultimately never eaten – land that has been deforested, species that have been driven to extinction, soil that has been degraded – all to produce food that we then just throw away” (The Problem of Food Waste). In these ways, food waste greatly affects the environment, and damages our natural resources. 

The economic effects of food waste are also staggering and result in the loss of millions of dollars per year. Every year, wasted food accounts for billions of dollars being spent. According to ReFED, a non-profit organization whose goal is to reduce food waste, “American consumers, businesses, and farms spend $218 billion, or 1.3% of our gross domestic product, growing, processing, and disposing of food that is never eaten,” money that could be used to feed the millions of people who go hungry in the United States everyday. (About Food Waste).  This economic loss occurs in a variety of ways. At markets, retailers tend to reject a lot of food because it doesn’t conform to their quality and aesthetic standards. For example, if fruit is not an acceptable shape or color, it may be thrown out. In addition, as consumers have come to expect a wide range of fruit and vegetables in any season, the loss of non-marketable items has increased. This results in an economic loss. In fact, The USDA estimates that supermarkets lose 15 billion dollars annually in unsold fruits and vegetables, alone (About Food Waste). Food loss has economic effects in our own homes as well. Simply due to negligence, families throw out approximately 25% of the food and beverages they buy and ReFed’s research shows that 43% of food wasted by weight – 27 million tons every year – occurs at home. According to author Jonathan Bloom, “that’s a loss of somewhere between $1,300-$2,200 for the average family of four every year.” Over time this loss adds up, and the economic effects of food waste become severe. 

Food waste negatively affects people in many ways. Worldwide, through the loss of food, humans waste one of every three food calories produced. Meanwhile 800 million people go to bed hungry every night. That is 1 in 9 people on the planet who are starving or malnourished. According to The National Resource Defense Council, if we were able to rescue just 15% of the food we waste each year, we’d save enough to feed 25 million Americans (About Food Waste). This humanitarian crisis is astonishing considering that the US alone produces enough food to sustain roughly 860 million hungry people, and more than twice the amount needed to feed the true population of the United States (Bloom). Is it really acceptable in a country where such a high percentage of the population is malnourished, for such a large amount of food to be wasted? The excessive amounts of food wasted could feed millions of hungry people, yet affluent countries such as the United States spend over 165 billion dollars a year on the production of food that is never eaten as well as an additional 750 million dollars a year to dispose of unwanted food (Gunders). In addition, the unseen assets that are necessary to create food that is predestined for the trash furthermore complicate the problem. ReFed, an organization dedicated to reducing food waste, believes that by implementing food recovery solutions, we could be donating 1.8 billion meals every year to people who are in need. As a result, not only would the environment and the economy benefit from the reduction of food waste, but the amount of malnourished, and underfed people residing in the United States would decline. 

Clearly, food waste is a massive injustice in our society. However, with every dilemma comes a solution, the first being awareness. Learn ways that food waste can be reduced  at home. There are a number of simple steps that  reduce waste in everyday life. It is important to take responsibility. Most people don't realize how much food they throw away every day — from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce. By managing food sustainably and reducing waste, both businesses and consumers can save money and benefit the environment. In addition, with the help of donation services and further awareness throughout the community, the number of people who remain malnourished can be reduced. Understanding the price tag that accompanies food waste is the first step in creating a maintainable food system, and reducing the harmful effects that go hand in hand with food waste. 

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