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Tossed out food waste in america
- 1. Abby Gold, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D. Stacy Wang, R.D., L.R.D. Tossed Out: Saving Food in America Rebecca Hummel Tanya Lillehoff
- 3. Objectives Understand the impact of food waste on the U.S. and environment Become aware of major causes of food waste Learn ways we can reduce waste in our daily lives
- 4. Test your food waste knowledge…
- 5. Most commonly wasted fruits and veggies
- 6. The Cost of Getting Food From the Farm to Our Fork Uses 80 percent of all freshwater consumed in the U.S. Ag production accounts for 50 percent of U.S. land 40 percent of food produced goes uneaten In addition, food production: Eats up 10 percent of the total U.S. energy budget Food decomposing in landfills accounts for 23 percent of U.S. methane emissions
- 7. Why do we waste so much food in the U.S.? Food is cheap compared with other costs The more food consumers waste, the more food producers are able to sell
- 8. Photo: What the World Eats United States THE CAVENS OF CALIFORNIA
- 9. Picture credits What the World Eats China THE CUIS OF WEITAIWU VILLAGE
- 10. How Much the Average American Consumer Wastes 10 times as much food as someone in Southeast Asia 50 percent more than Americans in the 1970s The good news: We once wasted far less, and we can get back to that level again
- 14. Farming Food loss Food that never is harvested Food that is lost between harvest and sale Ways farmers can cut those losses Food recovery organizations Encourage regional food systems
- 15. Processing The trimmings and peelings of processing Losses Ways to cut losses
- 16. Distribution Causes Improper handling/refrigeration Rejected shipments Strategies Proper training Online solutions
- 17. Retail Losses Causes Overstocked product displays Expectation of cosmetic perfection Availability of fresh, ready food until closing Expired “sell by” dates Ideas for change Instead of buy-one-get-one-free promotions, do half-off promotions Remove “display until” dates to reduce consumer confusion Sell imperfect or nearly expired goods at a discount rather than tossing them
- 18. Food Service Losses Causes Plate waste from large portions and undesired accompaniments Ideas for Change Trayless cafeterias discourages the overloading of trays reduced food waste by as much as 30 percent Offer smaller-portion options
- 19. Consumer Causes Lack of awareness and undervaluing of foods Confusion over label dates Spoilage
- 20. Date Labels and the FDA A principle of U.S. food law is that foods in U.S. commerce must be wholesome and fit for consumption.
- 21. Date Labels Demystified Best Before These dates refer to quality rather than food safety. Display Until and Sell By You can ignore these dates because they are for shop staff, not for shoppers. Use By These dates refer to safety. Always follow the storage instructions on food packages.
- 22. More Consumer Causes Impulse and bulk purchases Poor planning Overpreparation
- 23. Consumer Strategies Meal planning Packaging Buy imperfect products Grading standards
- 24. Pepperplate App and Website
- 25. Consumer Strategies Portion size Freeze unused products
- 26. Consumer Strategies Composting Naturally occurring decomposition process Reduces methane emissions and recycles nutrient
- 28. http://t.co/dMX7n3Vk7m Video: Graffiti art with food waste
- 30. References D’Aluisio, F., and Menzel, P., What the World Eats (2008), California: Tricycle Press. Gunders, D. (2012). Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill. Natural Resources Defense Council. http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/content/fruit-and-veg-waste http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/content/date-labels-infographic www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/healthieryou/html/tips_money_ saving.html www.extension.org/pages/24314/practical-ways-to-trim-high-grocery-prices www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm210073.htm www.governing.com/topics/energy-env/gov-curbside-composting-added-to- major-city.html
Editor's Notes
- Much of the information in this presentation comes from the Natural Resource Defense Council’s report “Wasted: How American is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill.”
- This program investigates the impact of food waste on the people and environment in which we live. We also will look at the major causes of waste and ways we can reduce waste throughout the food supply system. Reducing food waste has been an emerging topic of discussion in the world because of its great potential to reduce the burden on the environment, save valuable nutrients that could be nourishing people and save money. Solutions are proposed for every level in the food supply system, but this lesson will focus especially on practical and realistic approaches for us to reduce food waste at the household level.
- Can you name the most commonly wasted fruits and vegetables?
- Answer: Potatoes and bananas are the top commonly wasted fruit and vegetable. However, notice that apples have a large amount of avoidable waste, and this is the area with which we are concerned.
- Nutrition also is lost in the mix. Food saved by reducing losses by just 15 percent could feed more than 25 million Americans every year at a time when one in six Americans lacks a secure supply of food for his or her table. Given all the resources demanded for food production, making sure that the least amount possible is wasted on its journey to our plates is critical. By conserving food, we also conserve water, fuel and soil; the benefit to the planet is equivalent to taking one in five cars off the road. What about conserving soil? This demonstration will show how much fertile soil is available on the planet to grow food. Soil is a scarce resource that warrants careful stewardship. Activity: 1. Hold up the apple for the participants to see. Tell the participants that the apple represents the Earth. 2. Cut the apple into quarters. Explain that three-fourths of our Earth is occupied by ocean water. Only one-fourth of the Earth is land mass area. Place three-fourths of the apple on the table. 3. Take the remaining one-fourth of the apple and cut it in half; you now have two one-eighth sections of land. One of these sections represents land that is not suitable for producing food. These areas are deserts, swamps, mountains and the polar regions. The other section represents land where people can live and grow food. 4. Slice this one-eighth section lengthwise into four equal parts (cutting it lengthwise is important for the demonstration). Each of these four sections represents 1/32nd of the apple. The first section represents the areas of the world with rocky soil that is too poor for food production. The next section represents soils that are too wet, while the third section represents soils in climates that are too hot for good food production. The fourth section represents the area of the world developed by humans. 5. Remove the skin of the apple from this final section. This small bit of apple peeling represents all the Earth’s soil that humans depend on for food production.
- Class discussion: Why do we, as consumers, waste so much food? Possible discussion points: Compared with people in other countries, food represents a small portion of many Americans’ budgets, making the financial cost of wasting food too low to outweigh the convenience; Food producers are using all methods at their disposal to get us to buy more of their product. At times, we buy more than what we need because of a sale or coupon; Discount warehouse stores that sell in bulk decrease the cost per unit but may increase waste in the end because we cannot use the food fast enough; Economic incentives for food manufacturers encourage overbuying and wastefulness because the more consumers waste, the more food producers are able to sell.
- Two family pictures taken with one week’s worth of food (show one picture at a time). Ask the class what they see in each of the two families. Ask them to notice the differences/similarities. Write the list on a board if one is available. The goal is to help the class see how much U.S. food corporations market their products to encourage us to buy more. More than half of the U.S. families’ groceries have a manufacturer’s brand.
- In the U.S., consumers waste 10 times more food per capita than those in Southeast Asia and Asia.
- Viewing the problem of food waste in context is important. Compared with people in other countries, whose food budget takes up a larger potion of their income, we waste more. This makes sense: When we pay more for something, we are less likely to waste it because it cost us so much to acquire. Although we enjoy relatively low food prices in the U.S., that doesn’t mean we can’t act responsibly. We also know that as a country, 40 years ago we wasted less. This implies that changes made in how we get food from the farm to our fork encourage waste. The next part of the presentation will summarize critical areas where food losses occur. This is the first step in identifying where to direct our efforts and where we can make the most impact.
- In the next few slides, we will address how food is wasted at each part of the food chain, and then we will focus on the consumer aspect of the chain.
- The next two slides provide an overview of the amount of food that is wasted along each step of the supply chain. As you can see, the percentage of the food wasted is at the consumer level. Consumer losses also includes out-of-home consumption; 50 percent of all food eaten is out of the home. Note: Explain that each step in the food chain is separate and distinct. So, 2% of grain is lost when grain is produced (e.g., left in the field), once the grain gets to post harvest 2% of grain is lost in this stage of the supply chain. The largest amount of grain is lost by consumers. So 27% of grain available/purchased by consumers is lost. If you add up all of the grain lost it is 43%.
- This slide shows the amount of loss that occurs for individual food groups. The highest loss is seen with fruits and vegetables. The lowest loss is seen with milk. Discussion point: Why do the participants think the highest loss is in fruits and vegetables?
- Because of the variation and risks involved in farming, growing exactly the amount that will match demand is difficult for farmers. Produce may not be harvested because of damage caused by pests, disease and weather, as well as economics. If market prices are too low at the time of harvest, growers may leave some crops in the field because they will not cover their costs after accounting for the costs of labor and transportation. However, a network of food recovery organizations is eager to receive donations and even help harvest unsold crops. Food banks are especially interested in healthful and nutritious foods. These organizations can help producers donate their products with little effort, feed people and receive tax benefits at the same time. You also can encourage the growth of regional food systems to help alleviate some of the losses associated with fresh products. Shorter transportation times and distances likely would lead to lower loss of product during transportation and could create a market for produce with a shorter shelf life at the time of harvest. Another strategy is to encourage farmers to donate leftovers. For example, California gives farmers a tax credit for food donations. Carrot fun fact: A farmer who saw that 70 percent of his carrots were going to waste because of irregular shape or size decided to sell “baby carrots.” After cutting the irregular carrots small, he was able to sell them for 50 cents per pound, compared with 17 cents per pound for regular-sized carrots.
- Processing facilities generate food losses mostly through trimming when edible portions (skin, fat, peels, end pieces) and inedible portions (bones, pits) are removed from food. Trimmings and peelings contain nutrition and should be considered for their value. A concerted effort should be made for scraps and byproducts to be used as other food products, if possible, or as animal feed, compost or energy feedstock.
- Improper handling or refrigeration issues can occur for various reasons. For instance, deliveries that need refrigeration might sit too long on the loading dock. Also, if the trucks malfunction or are involved in accidents, the food may be kept at improper temperatures and this could lead to spoilage. A strategy to remedy this would be employee training to ensure proper handling and storage, as well as proper maintenance of distribution vehicles. These would help keep losses low. When perishable shipments are rejected, they may be dumped if another buyer cannot be found in time. If these perishables do reach a store, they have a shorter shelf life by the time they arrive at the store and may be difficult to sell before spoiling. A way to avoid this is an online exchange to facilitate the sale or donation of rejected shipments.
- Most retail stores operate under the assumption that customers buy more from brimming, fully stocked displays, preferring to choose their apples from a towering pile rather than from a scantly filled bin. “Use by” and “best by” dates, commonly found on perishable and nonperishable products, are manufacturer suggestions for peak quality. They do not indicate food safety, nor are they regulated. This generally is not how consumers interpret these dates. Many people believe they indicate a product’s safety and discard food as soon as it reaches its expiration date. The exception to this is infant formula, for which “use by” dates are federally regulated, and some other specific products in certain states.
- On average, diners leave 17 percent of meals uneaten, and 55 percent of these potential leftovers are not taken home. From 1982 to 2002, the average pizza slice grew 70 percent in calories, the average chicken Caesar salad doubled in calories, and the average chocolate chip cookie quadrupled. Today, portion sizes can be two to eight times larger than U.S. Department of Agriculture or Food and Drug Administration standard serving sizes. Having an a la carte menu allows customers to opt out of undesired accompaniments. Slowly decreasing portion sizes to recommended levels is another strategy.
- Lack of awareness and undervaluing of foods: Cheap, available food has created behaviors that do not place high value on utilizing what is purchased. As a result, the issue of wasted food is simply not on the radar of many Americans, even those who consider themselves environment or cost conscious Confusion over label dates: Label dates on food generally are not regulated and do not indicate food safety. Multiple dates, inconsistent usage and lack of education about date labels cause consumers to discard food prematurely. In the U.K., an estimated 20 percent of avoidable food waste in household is the result of food being discarded because of date labeling confusion Spoilage: Food spoils in homes due to improper or suboptimal storage, poor visibility in refrigerators, partially used ingredients and misjudged food needs.
- With the exception of infant formula, the laws that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) administers do not prevent stores from selling food that is past the expiration on the label. FDA does not require food firms to place "expired by," "use by" or "best before" dates on food products. This information is entirely at the discretion of the manufacturer. www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm210073.htm
- Reiterate that date labels are entirely at the discretion of the manufacturer. Foods with a “best before” date should be safe to eat after the “best before” date, but they no longer may be at their peak quality and can be repurposed. For “use-by” labels, food can be eaten up to the end of this date but not after, even if it looks and smells fine. To extend the life of food beyond its date, freeze it before the date and defrost and use within 24 hours. Many food retailers have a “bargain bin” that contains expired yet good quality foods, as long as the product isn’t past the “use-by” date. They usually are sold at a discount rate that saves you money and rescues them from being tossed.
- Impulse and bulk purchases: Store promotions leading to bulk purchases or purchases of unusual products often result in consumers buying foods outside their typical meal planning, which then get discarded. Poor planning: Lack of meal planning and shopping lists, inaccurate estimates of meal preparation and impromptu restaurant meals can lead to purchased food spoiling before being used. In the United Kingdom, about two-thirds of household waste is due to food spoilage from food not being used in time. Overpreparation: Cooking portions have increased through time, and large portions can lead to uneaten leftovers. The surface area of the average dinner plate expanded by 36 percent between 1960 and 2007. One-third of household waste in the United Kingdom is caused by people cooking or serving too much. On average, diners leave 17 percent of meals uneaten, and 55 percent of these potential leftovers are not taken home. Portion sizes have increased significantly in the past 30 years. From 1982 to 2002, the average pizza slice grew 70 percent in calories, the average chicken Caesar salad doubled in calories and the average chocolate chip cookie quadrupled. Today, portion sizes can be two to eight times larger than USDA or FDA standard serving sizes.
- Before you go grocery shopping, take time to make a list of meal ideas for the upcoming week. Think about the days you will have time to cook from scratch and other days when you will not have very much time to prepare a meal. Be sure to eat something healthy before you go shopping so you are not hungry when you get to the store. You also can help reduce the amount of food discarded in your home by avoiding buying from bulk bins and avoiding impulse buys or marketing tricks that lead to overbuying. Although volume purchases and promotions may be less expensive per ounce, if part of the food goes bad before its eaten, it actually may be more expensive in the long run.
- If you use technology such as smartphones, tablets or computers, the Pepperplate app or website can be used to store recipes, create menus with the recipes and create shopping lists from the menus, resulting in less food waste and more dollars saved. The app and website are synchronized so when you update on the website, the app on your phone also is updated (and vice versa).
- Serve smaller portions and save leftovers. Resources such as online portion calculators can help consumers prepare the appropriate amount of food. Uneaten meals can be saved as leftovers for later in the week or frozen and eaten later. Food can remain edible for longer when frozen, so freeze fresh produce and leftovers that might not be eaten before it goes bad. Some ways to control portion size are: When eating out, avoid all-you-can-eat buffets, value meals and other deals that promote overeating. Share restaurant meals or take part of the meal home to eat later. Order appetizers as your entrée. Beware of mindless eating while watching TV. If you snack in front of the TV, put an appropriate portion of food in a dish and leave the food package in the kitchen. Grab a healthy snack if you are hungry between meals. And serve food on a smaller plate or bowl to make normal portions look bigger.
- Together, edible and inedible food scraps from all stages of the supply chain represent 20 percent of the waste stream entering landfills by weight in the U.S. The level of greenhouse gas abatement would be equivalent to removing one-fifth of all the cars in the country from the road. Composting is a naturally occurring process of decomposition. Home composting speeds up this process. Compost can be made from almost any organic material. These materials eventually will break down into a stable product that provides nutrients, increases soil moisture-holding capacity, regulates soil temperature and improves organic matter in soils. According to the National Organic Program, you can compost plant and animal materials such as crop residues, animal manure, food waste and yard waste. Individuals engaging in backyard or under-the-counter composting is one strategy, yet a more effective strategy is municipal curbside composting programs. In 1996, San Francisco was the first city in the U.S. to initiate a citywide curbside compost program. City workers pick up 600 tons a day as part of the city’s overall effort to achieve zero waste by 2020. Following San Francisco’s lead, more than 90 cities have curbside composting programs. Portland, Ore., recently began its compositing program with $1 million designated to start the program. Most of the money to build the system was used to educate citizens about how to save scraps for composting. www.governing.com/topics/energy-env/gov-curbside-composting-added-to-major-city.html
- The UK’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign is a national project employed to reduce food waste (website http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/). Before the nationwide campaign was unveiled, volunteer participants were recruited for a pilot project. Participants initially were throwing away 4.7 kilograms of food per week, which is just slightly less than the UK national average. After the pilot project, participants were wasting less than half of this amount per household. The groups not only managed to cut back on the food they were throwing out but also learned new skills on food management and cooking. Love Food Hate Waste has developed a simple “how to” guide called Bringing Love Food Hate Waste Alive in the Community for other community groups and organizations across the UK to use. Their ideas are applicable in the U.S., too.
- Another solution is to be creative when it comes to repurposing wasted food. Show this five minute video. (Go to the Web address on your screen to access the video.)
- Close the session with this poster and the values from the U.S. Food Administration’s food guidelines for Americans in 1917 during World War I. The values in 1917, emphasized how food was a part of a larger system, and if we were sparing and mindful with food, food could be provided for soldiers and starving Europeans. Currently, we have economic conditions and resource scarcity that compel us to save food and be mindful about what we eat. Mindfulness is also best for our health.