Capitalistic Omnivore

Wasted Food, wasted money

Americans waste and amazing amount of food.  My research of this topic found that government agencies with the time to calculate the amount of food wasted estimate that 25-40% of all food is wasted by stores, restaurants, and American families.  Timothy Jones, an anthropologist with the University of Arizona, estimates this equates to 29 million pounds of food waste each year.

Some of those with a “green” conscience would argue that the food waste can easily be composted to be used to grow more food.  Unfortunately, most food waste goes to the landfill.  This means that not only the food is wasted but also:

1.        Labor involved in the production of food.

2.       Fertilizers, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides and all that is used in the field, farm, and feedlot operations.

3.       Fossil fuels in the production and transportation of foods.

4.       Electricity in the manufacturing and storing of foods.

5.       Packaging used for marketing and storing of food.

6.       Advertising dollars.

7.       Consumer dollars

The amount of actual wasted time, effort, and money is astounding.  Some estimates put the monetary loss at 100 billion dollars!  We are a wasteful society and it shows in our handling of our food.   Unless we are actively working to reduce your own food waste and that of your family’s on an individual basis, you and I are contributing everyday to this number.  We can all decrease our contribution to this problem with some basic steps.

1.       Don’t buy more fresh food (vegetables, fruits, meats) than you intend to use in 3 days.  Three days may mean a few more trips to the grocery store to replenish the lettuce and tomatoes, but it will equate to less gasoline cost in your vehicle than the food you put in the trash.

2.       Don’t make more than your family will eat and plan meals ahead of time.  While I know I live on leftovers for lunch, many people put leftovers in the refrigerator only to wonder in a week or two what to do with the hairy stuff in the Tupperware.

3.       Don’t get caught by “buy one and get two free” marketing ploys.  My wife was trapped by this technique and purchased three loaves of bread.  Luckily she had room in the freezer to keep two; otherwise, they would have wasted.

4.       Buy and store foods appropriately.  Freeze foods for an appropriate length of time and do not keep cereal until flour moths have time to grow. 

5.       When eating out, only order what you plan to eat at that sitting.  So many times restaurants serve portions that only my 17 year old son could devour in one sitting.  Don’t let large portions, pretty pictures, and a $6.99 all you can eat buffet make you check the expansion ability of your stomach.  Simply put, clean your plate and don’t let your eyes fool your stomach into thinking it can handle something it cannot.

If you are throwing away 25% (the low end of the estimate) of your food, you are also wasting 25 cents of every food dollar you spend.  Imagine what you could do with that money.   If you want to learn more go to www.wastedfood.com and learn what Jonathan Bloom has to say about wasted food in our country.  Also, find out what your favorite restaurant and grocery store does with their food waste.   You can ask or take a little “dumpster dive” to see what is being wasted. Is there an opportunity to feed starving people with the lost resources by giving them to www.secondharvest.org or similar food banks in your area, make them hear you.

Food production and marketing in the United States contributes greatly to the loss of food.  We are blessed with superstores, wholesale clubs, and we have added terms like “Supersize” to our food dictionary.  Unfortunately, we all know what we should do, but we seldom do it when there is a dollar to be made or saved, whatever the actual cost.  All the more reason we deserve the title of Capitalistic Omnivore.