Americans waste up to 40 percent of the food they produce
Summary
TLDRIn the U.S., up to 40% of food produced annually is wasted, resulting in a $218 billion economic loss. Households of four spend an average of $1,500 yearly on uneaten food. Food waste contributes to climate change, with associated greenhouse gases equivalent to 37 million cars. Consumers and businesses are responsible for over 80% of this waste, often due to cultural expectations of abundance and low food costs. Addressing food waste is crucial for combating climate change, with prevention ranking third on the list of impactful actions. Reforming date labels could help reduce waste by aligning with public health information and science.
Takeaways
- 🌍 The U.S. and China are the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, with food waste being a significant contributor if it were a country.
- 🍽️ Up to 40% of the food produced in the U.S. is wasted annually, leading to an economic loss of $218 billion per year.
- 🏡 A household of four in the U.S. spends an average of $1,500 or more per year on food that is not consumed.
- 🌿 The greenhouse gas emissions from food waste are equivalent to 37 million passenger vehicles on the road.
- 🔥 Methane emissions from rotting food in landfills contribute to the environmental impact, along with the resources used in food production.
- 🔑 Food waste prevention ranks third on the list of the top 100 impactful actions to address climate change, ahead of solar and wind power.
- 🍴 Consumers and consumer-facing businesses like restaurants and cafeterias are responsible for over 80% of food waste in the U.S.
- 🍽️ In restaurants, most food waste comes from leftovers on plates or post-consumer waste.
- 🗣️ Addressing customer behavior is key to tackling food waste in restaurants.
- 📊 Cultural expectations and the low cost of food in the U.S. contribute to the abundance mindset and waste.
- 📆 Date labels on food products often lead to confusion and waste; reforming these labels could help reduce food waste.
Q & A
What are the U.S. and China known for in terms of greenhouse gas emissions?
-The U.S. and China are known as the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.
If food waste were a country, where would it rank in terms of greenhouse gas emissions?
-If food waste were a country, it would rank as the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
What is the approximate percentage of food produced in the U.S. that goes to waste annually?
-Up to 40% of the food produced in the U.S. every year goes wasted.
What is the economic loss associated with food waste in the United States?
-The economic loss due to food waste in the U.S. is $218 billion per year.
How much does an average household of four spend on food that never gets eaten in the U.S.?
-An average household of four spends $1,500 or more per year on food that never gets eaten.
How does food waste contribute to greenhouse gas emissions?
-The greenhouse gases associated with food waste are equivalent to roughly 37 million passenger vehicles on the road, including methane from rotting food in landfills and emissions from production processes.
What is the ranking of food waste prevention among the top 100 impactful actions to address climate change?
-Food waste prevention is ranked as the third most impactful action to address climate change.
Who are the biggest contributors to food waste in the United States?
-Consumers and consumer-facing businesses such as restaurants and cafeterias are responsible for over 80% of the food waste in the U.S.
What is a significant cultural factor contributing to food waste in the U.S.?
-In the U.S., there is an expectation of abundance and low food prices, which contributes to the amount of food waste.
What steps can individual consumers take to reduce food waste?
-Individual consumers can be more aware of date labels and use their senses to determine food freshness, as many date labels are not related to food safety but rather peak freshness.
What is the role of date labels in contributing to food waste and how can they be improved?
-Date labels often lead to confusion and waste as they suggest peak freshness rather than safety, and there is an opportunity to reform them to align with public health information and science.
Outlines
🌎 Impact of Food Waste in the United States
The U.S. is highlighted as one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, with food waste alone equating to the emissions of a country ranked third globally. Elizabeth Balkan, the Food Waste Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, discusses the staggering statistics: up to 40% of the food produced annually in the U.S. is wasted, leading to an economic loss of $218 billion per year. Households of four spend an average of $1,500 or more per year on uneaten food. The environmental impact is profound, with food waste's greenhouse gas emissions comparable to 37 million passenger vehicles. The conversation underscores the importance of food waste prevention as a key strategy in combating climate change, ranking it third among the most impactful actions, ahead of solar and wind power.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Greenhouse gases
💡Food waste
💡Economic loss
💡Household food waste
💡Environmental impacts
💡Methane
💡Resource consumption
💡Climate change
💡Consumer behavior
💡Date labels
💡Cultural expectations
Highlights
The U.S. and China are the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, with food waste being the third largest if it were a country.
In the U.S., up to 40% of the food produced annually goes to waste.
Food waste results in an economic loss of $218 billion per year.
An average household of four spends over $1,500 per year on uneaten food.
Greenhouse gases from food waste are equivalent to emissions from 37 million passenger vehicles.
Food waste contributes to methane emissions when it rots in landfills.
Resources used in food production, manufacturing, transportation, storage, and distribution are wasted when food is not consumed.
Preventing food waste is ranked as the third most impactful action to address climate change.
Consumers and consumer-facing businesses, such as restaurants and cafeterias, are responsible for over 80% of food waste in the U.S.
The majority of food waste in restaurants comes from leftovers on plates or post-consumer waste.
Addressing customer behavior is key to tackling food waste in restaurants.
U.S. culture plays a significant role in food waste due to expectations of abundance and low food costs.
Date labels contribute to food waste, as they often do not indicate food safety but rather peak freshness.
Date labels are not regulated, except for baby formula, leading to confusion and unnecessary food waste.
Reforming date labels to align with public health information and science could prevent significant food waste.
Individual consumers can reduce food waste by understanding the difference between date labels and food safety.
Transcripts
>> Sreenivasan: THE U.S. AND
CHINA ARE THE LARGEST EMITTERS
OF GREENHOUSE GASES.
IF FOOD WASTE WERE A COUNTRY, IT
WOULD BE THE THIRD LARGEST.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IMPACT
OF FOOD WASTE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
AND HOW BIG THE PROBLEM IS HERE
IN THE UNITED STATES, NEWSHOUR
WEEKEND'S MEGAN THOMPSON
RECENTLY SAT DOWN WITH ELIZABETH
BALKAN, THE FOOD WASTE DIRECTOR
AT THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE
COUNCIL.
>> Reporter: PAINT THE PICTURE
FOR ME.
HOW MUCH FOOD DO WE WASTE HERE
IN THE UNITED STATES?
>> IN THE U.S., UP TO 40% OF THE
FOOD THAT IS PRODUCED EVERY YEAR
GOES WASTED.
THAT TRANSLATES INTO AN ECONOMIC
LOSS OF $218 BILLION PER YEAR.
AND AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL, A
HOUSEHOLD OF FOUR SPENDS ON
AVERAGE $1,500 OR MORE PER YEAR
ON FOOD THAT NEVER GETS EATEN.
>> Reporter: WHAT ARE THE
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE AMOUNT
OF FOOD THAT WE WASTE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, CLIMATE
CHANGE?
>> THE GREENHOUSE GASSES
ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD WASTE
AMOUNT TO ROUGHLY 37 MILLION
PASSENGER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD.
NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE THE
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM METHANE WHEN
FOOD WASTE ROTS IN A LANDFILL,
BUT YOU HAVE ALL THESE OTHER
RESOURCES THAT GO INTO THE
PRODUCTION, THE MANUFACTURING,
THE TRANSPORTATION, THE STORAGE,
THE DISTRIBUTION.
ALL OF THOSE RESOURCES ARE
SWALLOWED UP WHEN WE WASTE FOOD
RATHER THAN EAT IT.
OF THE TOP 100 MOST IMPACTFUL
THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO ADDRESS
CLIMATE CHANGE, FOOD WASTE
PREVENTION IS NUMBER THREE.
IT'S NOT SOLAR POWER, IT'S NOT
WIND POWER, IT'S FOOD WASTE
PREVENTION.
>> Reporter: WHAT ARE THE
BIGGEST CONTRIBUTORS TO FOOD
WASTE HERE?
>> OVERALL, CONSUMERS AND
CONSUMER-FACING BUSINESSES--
RESTAURANTS, CAFETERIAS-- ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER 80% OF THE
FOOD WASTE IN THIS COUNTRY.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN RESTAURANTS, THE
VAST MAJORITY OF FOOD WASTE
COMES FROM WHAT IS LEFTOVER ON
PEOPLE'S PLATES, OR
POST-CONSUMER WASTE.
SO, IF WE WANT TO REALLY TACKLE
THE FOOD WASTE THAT'S HAPPENING
IN RESTAURANTS, FOR EXAMPLE, WE
NEED TO START ADDRESSING THE
HARDER PART OF THE PUZZLE, WHICH
IS CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR.
>> Reporter: SO, IT SOUNDS LIKE
CULTURE PLAYS A ROLE IN SOME OF
THIS.
>> CULTURE PLAYS A HUGE ROLE IN
IT AND IS REALLY PART OF THE
EQUATION IN THE U.S. IN... IN A
FUNDAMENTAL WAY.
IN THIS COUNTRY, I THINK WE HAVE
CERTAIN EXPECTATIONS ABOUT THE
WAY THAT FOOD IS PRESENTED.
WE LIKE ABUNDANCE, AND FOOD IS
VERY CHEAP IN THIS COUNTRY.
SO, THE COST TO BUSINESSES OF
WASTING FOOD IS NOT SO OUTSIZED
WHEN COMPARED TO EITHER THE
CONSUMER EXPECTATION OR THE
BUSINESS' EXPECTATION OF WHAT
THE CONSUMER EXPECTS TO SEE WHEN
THEY WALK INTO A HOTEL BUFFET,
OR THEY WALK INTO A SUPERMARKET
AISLE.
>> Reporter: WHAT ARE STEPS THAT
INDIVIDUAL CONSUMERS CAN TAKE?
>> WE DON'T WANT CONSUMERS TO
FEEL LIKE THEY'RE THE VILLAINS
HERE.
A LOT OF THE SOURCE REASON FOR
FOOD WASTE IS CONNECTED TO
THINGS LIKE DATE LABELS.
DATE LABELS DIDN'T REALLY EXIST
BEFORE THE 1970s, AND, BEFORE
THEN, PEOPLE WOULD USE THEIR
SENSES.
THEY WOULD USE THE SMELL TEST ON
MILK.
THEY MIGHT TRY A LITTLE BIT OF
YOGURT.
AND IF SOMETHING TASTED FINE OR
SMELLED OKAY, IT DIDN'T SMELL
LIKE IT HAD GONE OFF, THEY WOULD
EAT IT.
WHAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT A
DATE LABEL THAT SAYS "BEST IF
USED BY" HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
FOOD SAFETY, BUT IT'S A
MANUFACTURER SUGGESTION ABOUT
WHEN THIS FOOD ITEM IS AT ITS
PEAK FRESHNESS, WHICH IS
INHERENTLY A SUBJECTIVE THING.
IN FACT, BESIDES BABY FORMULA,
THERE IS REALLY NO REGULATION
AROUND DATE LABELS.
SO, THERE'S ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITY
TO REFORM DATE LABELS TO BE
CONSISTENT WITH PUBLIC HEALTH
INFORMATION AND SCIENCE, AND, IN
DOING SO, PREVENT A TON OF FOOD
FROM GOING TO WASTE.
>> Reporter: ELIZABETH BALKAN,
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
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