Day 17: Waste Not, Want Not

There are approximately 850 million hungry people around the world, despite the fact that there is enough food produced every year to provide every person on the planet with nearly twice as many calories as they need.

And yet, nearly a billion people are not fed.

At the same time, nearly one-third of the total food produced around the world – about 1.3 billion tons of food annually – is wasted. The value of the total food wasted is roughly the equivalent of $1 trillion. But as it contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions – as well as to issues related to water conservation – and could contribute greatly toward feeding the hungry people in the world, perhaps the real cost is higher than we estimate.

In Europe and the United States (countries that are responsible for 60% of the global food waste) most of the waste is found in supermarkets, restaurants and homes. As consumers, we have been trained to pass over the produce that is imperfect in any way. Those imperfections lead farmers and retailers to throw out produce that they suspect will be rejected by consumers. In addition, the ongoing debate about the accuracy of the food dating system suggests that perhaps consumers are prematurely throwing away food.

In the developing world, food waste looks a bit different. Waste occurs usually in the form of spoilage, when the lack of infrastructure or technology do not allow farmers to preserve foods before they can be sold.

But there are hopeful signs.

Modest investments in technology or infrastructure – like small metal silos for storing grains – have been shown to dramatically reduce food waste and improve food security in developing areas.

Campaigns to re-educate consumers and retailers about imperfect produce are underway. (Seriously, watch this video. It’s REALLY great!) In fact, the European Union designated 2014 as the European Year Against Food Waste and the National Restaurant Association has even recognized waste reduction as a hot culinary topic in 2015.

In March, Chef Dan Barber is using his posh Blue Hill Restaurant as an experimental lab for chefs who want to make delicious meals out of the parts of the plant we normally throw away.

And the former President of the grocery chain Trader Joe’s is opening a retail store called “The Daily Table” where imperfect produce and foods at or near their expiration date can be purchased inexpensively, both reducing food waste and offering healthy foods to lower income families.

Start paying attention to the ways your family wastes food.

Revisit this article from our 2014 “40 Days” project.

Purchase ugly vegetables.

In what other ways can you do you part to contribute to the reduction of global food waste?

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Lenten Calendar for MARCH 9 How many healthy children do you know? Donate a quarter for each of them.

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We need your stories!

We’re already looking ahead to the 40 Days for Food Justice Project for 2016 and we’re looking for more stories, experiences, prayers and resources about food justice and food injustice. If you would like to contribute – or would like to recommend a contributor – please send us an email and let us know.

About:

In addition to being the founder and editor-in-chief of the “40 Days for Food Justice Project”, the Rev. MargaretAnne Overstreet is a mom, a Presbyterian pastor, and a certified Health Coach. She does ministry with and among the good people of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Belleville, Illinois, where she gets her hands dirty in the community garden and, every Sunday, preaches with bare feet. She treasures family time, relishes every opportunity to teach and write about food justice, and loves to play outside with her dogs. Find out more about her at www.AnInBetweenPlace.com