Almost half of the world's food thrown away, report finds

[Deleted]

I don't throw away food unless it's you know, expired.


But when I was little my mom made sure to teach me how bad it is to be wasteful.

She made me kiss a piece of food if I was to throw it away before throwing it away.

[PACOX]

I'm normally massively against subsidizing industries but agriculture is the one major exception, farming at capacity leads to famine when there is a drought and damages the soil reducing future capacity.
Destroying crops after they have been harvested to keep prices down seems petty to me, but folks seemed to think that doing so has helped our economy in the past. I would love to see someone find out if we are still doing that in the last few years, I would think they would put them towards making bio diesel instead of just destroying them.

Its a delicate institution. Its in place to keep domestic farmers growing. The problem is that domestic farmers are too good at their job and crash the markets. If the market crash, the domestic farmers find something more lucrative to do. We just can't do away with subsidized farms because the farmers lobby to keep their profitable business, its good money. And if there are shareholders involved they pretty much have to.

Its probably too expensive (no one is willing to eat to cost of developing adequate and efficient infrastructure) to do much with the surplus other than destroy it. Give it to people (I actually do think they give some of it away) and you find it back on the market which defeats the purpose. Can't export it because it cost to much, you would have to ship it across the oceans to find somewhere its profitable, but then the shipping cost would eat you alive. Of course the government could develop the infrastructure for bio diesel, etc but no one will sign off on "unproven" technology. Its career suicide should something go wrong before the program become profitable and autonomous.

[Deleted]

A tiny bit related. :P

[goobernoob]

Its a delicate institution. Its in place to keep domestic farmers growing. The problem is that domestic farmers are too good at their job and crash the markets. If the market crash, the domestic farmers find something more lucrative to do. We just can't do away with subsidized farms because the farmers lobby to keep their profitable business, its good money. And if there are shareholders involved they pretty much have to.

Its probably too expensive (no one is willing to eat to cost of developing adequate and efficient infrastructure) to do much with the surplus other than destroy it. Give it to people (I actually do think they give some of it away) and you find it back on the market which defeats the purpose. Can't export it because it cost to much, you would have to ship it across the oceans to find somewhere its profitable, but then the shipping cost would eat you alive. Of course the government could develop the infrastructure for bio diesel, etc but no one will sign off on "unproven" technology. Its career suicide should something go wrong before the program become profitable and autonomous.

I wouldn't be too sure about that, we already put a massive amount of our corn crop to ethanol, and changing a vehicle from diesel to
bio diesel doesn't require much work, especially if you do it for public transit vehicles for a major city so you only need to convert one fueling station.

edit: it looks like mmo champion was down for just under 50 minutes, I didn't see anything on the front page about maintenance, DDoS?

[Silhouette of Seraphim]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's



Really the only thing you can do is shop at places similar to this. I don't doubt a significant portion of food thrown out is from grocers, and if you shop at places that simply stock less food, you'll be doing your part. Plus you'll be supporting a smart business practice, which feels nice in that sense.

Not to mention that Trader Joes is just great anyway. Their apple crisp pie with cranberries and orange is amazing, and their peanut butter filled pretzels I need to keep away from me or I'll eat the entire bag like a fatty.

The fiancee also enjoyed the bottle of Shiraz wine we picked up there, and I quite enjoyed the after effects of her drinking a bottle of wine.

We had also bought a lot of fresh vegetables from there and while I still don't know what half the shit was that she put in there, it was delicious.

They also have a lot of frozen meats and fishes, which I'm sure helps reduce waste.

[alturic]

I didn't really read the article, but something similar is on TV quite regularly.

It's mainly food that was not bought at a specific day that gets thrown away. For instance bread or meat. Bread gets hard and meat goes bad real quick, but because super markets have to offer them each day and the shelves have to be full all the time a lot of it gets thrown away because noone bought it in time. Or take pre cooked food at schools or canteens. A certain expected amount is prepared but it's usually too much because it would look bad if 1 meal is used up because for some reason everyone wanted to eat it that day and ignored the multiple alternatives. The rest gets thrown away.

You know, I don't know if this is a WalMart only thing, and they were just throwing it away when they were doing this, but I seen a guy pulling a pallet jack with 4 55 gallon plastic trash cans on it with nothing but meat in them. Some of it was still a tad pink, some of it was clearly starting to brown, but it really made me wonder where the hell he was taking it in the back.

Speaking of that, I mean I'm not expert on food but when meat starts browning is it completely unsafe to eat, like it can't be used for the wonder "meaty" dog food and the like? If, when things like meat go bad, I think a lot of the waste is on the heads of the food industry and not even stores like WalMart or Target and the like considering all these food products were "processed" before even shipping them to these stores.

Then again, I guess if WalMart orders 20 million pounds of ground beef or something, regardless if they only sell 15 million pounds the processor still has to grind up 20 million pounds. I'm just surprised that (and I'm sure they are charged pennies on the dollar) a company like WalMart/Target or even your local mom and pop supermarket would still be ordering excess of products that don't sell.

There's a huge difference between ordering a few extra cases of Coke that doesn't fly off the shelf, but can stay on the shelf for months than ordering milk/meat that only lasts for a few days on the shelf and then gets thrown away.

[N-7]

I think most of this "thrown away" food is either thrown while it still in shops or even before that.

[Deleted]

This is JUST what retailers and consumers decline. If you include the amount of grain poured into the sea by the US government to artificially control the price of rice, wheat etc. Then this 2bn figure is probably doubled!

This is an important and complex topic that goes beyond the majority of peoples (ignorance) desire for perfectly looking food, and has a lot to do with world politics and control over the worlds food supply.

[Badpaladin]

Not to mention that Trader Joes is just great anyway. Their apple crisp pie with cranberries and orange is amazing, and their peanut butter filled pretzels I need to keep away from me or I'll eat the entire bag like a fatty.

Freeze-dried Mangos and their nut medley with chocolate-covered coffee beans, cranberries 'n such. I can't buy those anymore, for fear of packing on weight like a college freshman.

[Rendia]

You know, I don't know if this is a WalMart only thing, and they were just throwing it away when they were doing this, but I seen a guy pulling a pallet jack with 4 55 gallon plastic trash cans on it with nothing but meat in them. Some of it was still a tad pink, some of it was clearly starting to brown, but it really made me wonder where the hell he was taking it in the back.

Speaking of that, I mean I'm not expert on food but when meat starts browning is it completely unsafe to eat, like it can't be used for the wonder "meaty" dog food and the like? If, when things like meat go bad, I think a lot of the waste is on the heads of the food industry and not even stores like WalMart or Target and the like considering all these food products were "processed" before even shipping them to these stores.

Then again, I guess if WalMart orders 20 million pounds of ground beef or something, regardless if they only sell 15 million pounds the processor still has to grind up 20 million pounds. I'm just surprised that (and I'm sure they are charged pennies on the dollar) a company like WalMart/Target or even your local mom and pop supermarket would still be ordering excess of products that don't sell.

There's a huge difference between ordering a few extra cases of Coke that doesn't fly off the shelf, but can stay on the shelf for months than ordering milk/meat that only lasts for a few days on the shelf and then gets thrown away.

I work for the grocery portion of Wal-Mart as a Produce Manager. Since I have managed the Produce Department I have reduced waste a lot. I do most of the ordering, and since I know how much I will need, I know how much to order. Though sometimes I experience higher than usual sales, which causes me to go out of stock. I am usually fine with this, depending on the items, but my Store Manager FREAKS OUT if I run out of something. She acts like all of my sales are suddenly flying out the window. 9 times out of 10 people will buy something similar just as readily, and I waste less. All of the waste from produce is used for composting, rather than just thrown away, so at least it is being reused in some way.

As for the Meat Department, my store at least donates all out spoiled and passed date meat to a local wild animal shelter that specializes in wild cats mostly. So there is little REAL waste there.

Our Bakery Department takes all product off the shelves 2 days prior to going out of date, and marks it down 40% for quick sale. Whatever isn't sold by the end of the next day is taken and frozen. It is then donated to local food banks.

Our Dairy department removes all product from shelves 3 days prior to going out of date and donates to local food banks.

The Deli Department is the biggest place for waste in the store. All the hot food that is made to keep our case full has to be tossed every 2 hours should it not sell. Again, it is all used for composting, but it just feels worse since it is the biggest waste area in the store.

Most of our stuff is reused in some way, but it is still good and able to be used for humans. It just irritates me that we are forced to take perfectly good food away from people who could use it, but at least it gets used for something productive rather than just waste.

[Bender]

I think the bulk of the waste comes from supermarkets. I saw a documentary about it a year ago or so and they showed that supermarkets throw away a very large percentage of their food because of expiration dates/fruit looking bad etc.

[killerlee]

I think the bulk of the waste comes from supermarkets. I saw a documentary about it a year ago or so and they showed that supermarkets throw away a very large percentage of their food because of expiration dates/fruit looking bad etc.

I am the manager of a deli in a grocery store. The amount I throw away is staggering, due to strict code by date laws from both the state and the company. It is REALLY sad the amout of food i throw away because its only allowed in the cooler or the sales floor for 5 days.

They even make me throw away unused condiments after 15 days, like bulk ketchup or mustard or mayo or ranch dressing anything like that, has to be thrown away. I gave them the arguement that i keep those things in my fridge for months and i have never had a problem with it.

All in all each month, just in my department alone i throw away over $2000 worth of product, with is about 6 trash cans full.

[mvaliz]

If somebody hasn't linked it yet, here's a trailer to the indie Documentary called "Dive!"

It basically is about a group of Californians who realize that food at grocery stores are being thrown out because they hit the expiration date, or because of 1-or-2 bad fruit in a bunch, or 1 cracked egg... but they're still good if they're frozen/cooked right away. These guys are literally eating perfectly fine Fillet Mignon, rare german cheeses ect JUST because they're thrown out due to some small blemish or technicalities.

I myself witnessed this at my local Mejer's and Old Country Buffet. At Meijer's the guy was taking the 6 remaining rotisserie chickens from the heating pad out to the back to throw into the dumpster. I asked if I could have them, and he said "No, you have to buy them." My response was "...but you're throwing them out. Why should I buy them if they're garbage to you?" He just said "That's how it is...".

At the local Old Country Buffet I talked to the manager, and he says he always makes food even after closing, so long as the other guests are still inside and eating. I asked what he does with the extra food. "It' gets thrown out." I asked why not give it to the employees, and he said "Because they may make extra/more for themselves then."... I didn't know about food banks back then, otherwise I would've suggested sending all that food to chairty/donations instead.

[Prokne]

A tiny bit related. :P

Im kind of tired of hearing that fast food and unhealthy food is cheaper than fresh food you can buy at a supermarket and cook yourself. Its not. It will cost you at least $5 and probably more like $8 per meal at a fast food restaurant and almost every meal I can make at home is around $3-4. A steak will cost $5-6 with a $1 side dish which is still less than a crappy hamburger meal at McDonalds. The exception could be the $5 large pizza(that is meant for many people to eat but is probably consumed by 1 fat person) the show advertized but it has way more calories than 1 person should eat so if you bought one and ate only 500 cal of it you would probably not get fat. If you ate 1 slice of pizza a day you would not be fat, but its more likely an obese person eats 1 large pizza per day, 1 large burger meal and McDonalds breakfast which is like $30 worth of regular food by calories. They could eat all of those meals for $10 a day and consume much less food since it isnt necessary at all, which is why they are fat.

The problems are people eat too much and dont work out. The guy that was trying to get a gastric bypass or stomach band really just needs to eat less and exercise. You see obese people losing weight all the time on shows like The Biggest Loser and thats all they do, eat less and exercise. The problem isnt with the food, its that people are too lazy or dont have enough time to be healthy which is also backed up by their preference toward easy solutions for obesity like pills and surgery.

And school lunches have been processed and disgusting for years. Thats why I always brought my own lunch. Its pretty easy to make your own sandwich and throw in a granola bar and a piece of fruit for the same price or less of a $3 school lunch. But that requires someone to do 3min of work in the morning instead of sleeping.

[Elegiac]

People that complain about the consumer culture fail to realise that far more people have access to consumption than used to be the case.

[blackblade]

People that complain about the consumer culture fail to realise that far more people have access to consumption than used to be the case.

If you're following along, It's largely the providers negligence rather than a collective failure on the consumer's part.

[Elegiac]

If you're following along, It's largely the providers negligence rather than a collective failure on the consumer's part.

Providers are a part of the consumer culture. It is true that said culture has become excessive and wasteful, but I would rather have too much than too little.

[starlord]

if you but food from the local market it lasts a lot longer.

[Slummish]

My fridge just got cleaned out and I was pissed when I noticed an unopened Corona and half a tub of new mascarpone had been tossed. But, you can't blame America on this one. The housekeeper in question that threw out my stuff is from northern India.

[mvaliz]

If you're following along, It's largely the providers negligence rather than a collective failure on the consumer's part.

What this person said.

Though I do believe there SHOULD be some accountability on the consumer side too. I know too many people who throw out perfectly good food because they don't "want to finish it all". Instead of saving it for leftovers the next day, or re-using it into creating another dish - they throw it out.

I had one friend whom I was going to thanksgiving dinner at their house. I told her to save me all the vegetable trimmings and the turkey bones to use as stock.

I seriously couldn't believe what she was going to throw out! I had an entire tupperware container of potato-skins, several very large celery hearts, a whole turkey skeleton with full meat-on wings and tail, ect.

The Skins themselves I just threw some olive oil and steak seasoning on them and roasted them in the oven - then served them with some sour cream as a kick-ass alternative to french fries. I stripped the meat from the wings and tail, diced them up and used them on a salad, using some of the celery heart as an extra ingredient. Lastly the bones I flipped into a stockpot with the majority of the celery hearts and produced several gallons of Turkey Stock.

I find it funny that I ate almost as good off the trimmings (read: Garbage) of their thanksgiving meal than the thanksgiving meal itself!