Not long ago, I blogged about Freegans and how they get their food from garbage cans. While some may find that a bit repulsive, let me share some facts with you.
I read in an NPR article today about a new report by the National Resources Defense Council titled “Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill.”
Think the titles shocking? Then you should hear some of what’s in it. Stat like 40 percent of the food in the United States goes uneaten. And, this is a time when the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 1 out of 6 Americans go hungry.
How wasteful a country are we food-wise? We waste up to ten times more food than people who live in Southeast Asia. That’s 50 percent more food wasted than by Americans in the ‘70s.
All this waste adds up to more than hungry stomachs though. It costs us $165 billion a year and 25 percent of our freshwater.
I’m ashamed to admit that I am an offender. I let food go bad in the fridge, don’t eat leftovers like I should, and have to throw away cans of food in the pantry that have expired.
But, as depressing as all this is, some people and companies are trying to make a difference. Gents, Start Your Bikes is an organization that collects produce and goods that are no longer sellable at the grocery store and bikes them to those in need at shelters, housing projects, and at-risk community outlets. In the past year, they have given 128,000 pounds of food to those in need.
Wal-Mart gives still fresh and usable but slightly imperfect foods to Feeding America to be distributed to the hungry.
The resourceful students at Arizona State University have developed an app called FlashFood. This helps connect restaurants that have leftovers with community groups that need it.