Good Question: How Much Food Do We Waste?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Every day, we throw out tons and tons of food -- $162 billion worth each year.
It's become such a problem that the USDA and EPA have announced a goal to cut our food waste in half by 2030. The motto: "Let's feed people, not landfills."
So, how much food do we waste?
"We waste about 40 percent of our food," says JoAnne Berkenkamp, an advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "It's a huge number and most of us don't realize how huge that waste is."
According to the NRDC, we waste 20 percent to 25 percent of dairy and meats, 50 percent of seafood and 52 percent of fruits and vegetables.
For an average family of four, that adds up to a cost of $1,500 a year. Then, calculate the cost of water, fertilizer, land and energy that's used to grow, chill and transport the food that's often forgotten in the backs of refrigerators.
Food losses occur across the supply chain -- from "farm to fork." Over 40 percent is wasted in homes, 40 percent at grocery stores, colleges, hospitals and restaurants and the rest on farms and with food processing.
"We have extremely high standards for what our produce needs to look like," Berkenkamp said. "It's about appearance and that drives a huge amount of waste."
Most of the food ends up in landfills which creates enormous amounts of greenhouse gases.
"If food waste were a country, it would come in third after China and the United States in terms of greenhouse gas emissions," Berkenkamp said.
To educate consumers about this issue, the National Resources Defense Council has teamed up with the Ad Council to launch a "Save the Food" public service campaign.
The government is also looking at ways to reach out to consumers and businesses to better manage food supplies. The USDA and EPA are supporting programs for education, smaller portion sizes and imperfect produce.
"We go to the grocery store or the farmer's market, but we don't see what didn't make it," Berkenkamp said. "And, when we throw something down the disposal, we don't think about where it goes or the consequences and resources it took to grow that food."
