I
STATE OF EMERGENCY—little Johnny’s stomach couldn’t take no more, so the food went straight out the door.
Implementation of courses in elementary-school is something that should have longed been considered. Children in this generation ought to learn about the value of food—that it is a necessity, scarce at times for others, and should not be thrown away.
Scenarios of kids seamlessly wasting food is prominent at all levels, in all households (when applicable), and to all extend. Since we are concerned about the issue at hand—that being food waste—we ought to assess the issue at its source. Granting that this might be an unintentional act, parents now have the duty of informing their kids on food-waste and ways to prevent it. Moreover, parents alike, can become a part of the solution by feeding their children food that they’ll eat in sensical portions.
As the proverb states “train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart.” If this valuable lesson is emphasized and implemented in schools and homes, then by the year 2030, our city, country, and world could experience less than 20% of food-waste in landfills, because of one such act.
Let’s make strides toward a better Tomorrow.
II
The average person encounters three to four homeless persons each day who are in dire need of food —if even a crumb of bread. Yet, Mom threw out 13 slices of fresh bread that was one day shy of it’s ‘best-by’ date.
The average household in the U.S wastes up to 150,000 tons of edible food each year, which is equivalent to about one-pound per person each day. Yet thousands of people in New York City alone, struggle to get-by with sufficient nutritional food needed for optimal health.
This smells trouble!–Like plastic-waste, global warming, and human trafficking, food-waste deserves much attention.
Problem
Consumers tend to buy what they think they will consume. Studies by Dr. Meredith Niles and colleagues at the University of Vermont reveals that consumers buy produce and end up wasting 87% of it.This is a waste of natural resources like energy and water, as well as finances from both the government and consumers.
Moreover, it turns out that healthier food-alternatives like fruits and vegetables were directly contributed to food that is discarded.
Solution
Informing consumers of the differences between produce that is merely bruised and that which is spoiled, is a key component of the fight against food-waste. In fact, finding other ways to properly use food–a term coined: repurposing– that is nearly spoil is expressively emphasized. For example, the 13 slices of bread that mom was about to throw out, (obviously because she knew that there was no way her family of four would consume it all in a day) could have been repurposed to make dishes like bread pudding, strata, or even some delicious stuffing!
Another factor that can be considered by distributors is revising ‘best-buy’ dates on packaging labels.
So the next time you visit the grocery store, refrain from buying what you think you’ll need, for that which you will certainly need. (https://www.uvm.edu/gund/profiles/meredith-t-niles)
III
“Mhmm… Should I purchase this or should I purchase that?” Does this sound like you?
Studies conducted in Italy have successfully categorized various types of eaters and their preferences according to their personalities. It turns out that a person’s reaction to expiration dates and their likeliness to waste food is heavily based on their personalities.
The Facts and Personality briefly explained…
Conscious-Fussy Type
Our five senses are certainly imperative for our lifestyles, but that is undeniably emphasized in those who fall under this category. This group reportedly wasted food because it didn’t look nor smelled good. They do, however, check expiration dates to analyze if the food is ‘good’ or not for consumption.
Frugal Consumer
This group consists of people who were mainly retired and ages 61 and older. They rarely bought fruits and vegetables and did not waste a significant amount of food.
Exaggerated Cook and Shopper
These are the people who often bought food in excess and as a result, ended up wasting it because of mold accumulation and spoilage. This group represented 6.7% of household food waste reportedly bought packaged food that they feared running out of.
Which type are you? And how can each individual prevent this issue?
IV
Jessica’s Supermarket Salvation
Jessica works at a supermarket, and when she has to check for what is expired, her job requires her to throw away food that is also close to expiring. She asked her manager if she and her coworkers can keep close to expiration food but he said they lose money that way. Then she proposed to put stickers indicating a sale for close to expiration foods, which he responded with the same answer.
Jessica gathered her coworkers and together proceed to persuade their manager to do something about it. He finally let the workers take home or eat the foods before they expired the following days. With Jessica and the rest of the supermarket learned the importance of food waste and as long as food waste not gone bad, it can still be of use.
