The Rotten Truth About Food Waste

    Next time you’re in the school lunchroom, try an experiment. Stand by the garbage when people clear their trays. Watch as the food piles up. 

    There are the mixed vegetables no one ever eats. 

    There are the pizza slices with the pepperoni picked off.

    There are the chicken nuggets that looked good before they landed on the plate.

    Now imagine this scene repeated everywhere from Maine to California.

    Every day, Americans waste about 345 million pounds of food. Most of it goes into the trash. There, it has a lot of company. Worldwide, we throw out about one-third of all the food produced every year. That’s enough to cover all of New York City in a pile of rotting, stinking garbage up to our waists. How is this possible? Welcome to the problem of food waste.

    Stand near the garbage in your school lunchroom. Watch people clear their trays. Watch the food pile up.

    You’ll see mixed vegetables. No one eats them.

    You’ll see pizza slices. Only the pepperoni was eaten.

    You’ll see chicken nuggets. They weren’t so tasty.

    This happens everywhere from Maine to California.

    Every day, Americans waste about 345 million pounds of food. Worldwide, we throw out one-third of all the food produced every year. You could cover New York City with all of that rotting food. It would go up to our waists. How can this be? Welcome to the problem of food waste.

    Next time you’re in your school lunchroom, try this experiment: Stand by the garbage when people clear their trays and watch as the food piles up.

    There are the mixed vegetables nobody ever eats.

    There are the pizza slices with the pepperoni picked off.

    There are the chicken nuggets that looked yummy before they landed on the plate.

    Now imagine this scene repeated everywhere from Maine to California.

    Every day, Americans waste about 345 million pounds of food, with most of it going into the trash. There, it has a lot of company—worldwide, we throw out one-third of all the food produced every year. That’s enough to blanket all of New York City in a pile of rotting, stinking garbage up to our waists. How is this possible? Welcome to the problem of food waste.

    Food travels a long path from the farm to your mouth. Tons of it are wasted every step of the way. American farmers trash about 10 million tons of produce every day. Some of it gets left behind by the giant machines that pick it. Some of it spoils while being stored. But often farmers simply grow more than they can sell. They leave the rest to rot in the fields.

    Still more food goes to waste on its way to your fridge. It rots in trucks or on grocery store shelves. Millions of pounds of produce are thrown out just because it looks weird. Lemons grow little legs. Potatoes sprout odd-looking tails. These ugly fruits and veggies taste fine. They’re usually safe to eat. But no one wants to buy them.

    By far the biggest pile of food is trashed by consumers. That’s  you and me. At restaurants, we order the large pizza. Two slices end up in the dumpster. 

    At the store, we buy a gallon of milk. When it goes bad, we pour it down the drain. At home, we cook more than we eat—and scrape the leftovers into the trash.

    Food has a long trip from the farm to your mouth. Along the way, some is wasted. American farmers grow a lot of food. They trash about 10 million tons of fruit and vegetables every day. Sometimes, the machines that pick it leave some of it behind. Other times, the farmers grow more than they can sell. So they leave some in the fields to rot.

    More food is wasted after it leaves the farm. It rots in trucks. It rots on store shelves. Millions of pounds of produce are thrown out. Some is thrown out because it looks weird. Lemons grow little legs. Potatoes grow odd-looking tails. These ugly fruits and veggies taste fine. Most are safe to eat. But no one wants to buy them.

    Even more food is thrown out by consumers. That’s you and me. At restaurants, we order the large pizza. Two slices end up in the dumpster. 

    At the store, we buy a gallon of milk. It goes bad. We pour it down the drain. At home, we cook more than we can eat. We throw the leftovers out.

    To get from the farm to your mouth, food travels a long path. And tons of food are wasted every step of the way. American farmers trash about 10 million tons of fruits and vegetables every day. Some of it is left behind by the giant machines that pick it, but often farmers simply grow more than they can sell. They leave what they know they can’t sell in the fields to rot.

    As food continues its journey to your fridge, more of it goes to waste. It rots in trucks or on grocery store shelves. In addition, millions of pounds of produce are thrown out just because it looks weird, such as lemons that have grown little legs or potatoes that have sprouted odd-looking tails. These ugly fruits and veggies taste fine and are usually safe to eat—but no one wants to buy them.

    By far the biggest pile of food, however, is trashed by consumers. That’s you and me. At restaurants, we order the large pizza, and two slices end up in the dumpster. 

    At the store, we buy a gallon of milk—and when it goes bad, we pour it down the drain. At home, we cook more than we can eat—and scrape the leftovers into the trash can.

    So, how can we stop wasting so much food? Plenty of people are working on solving the problem. Some companies buy “ugly” fruits and vegetables from farmers and sell them for cheap. Other groups collect unpicked produce and give it to food banks.

    But the best place to stop food waste is right in your own kitchen. First of all, don’t be grossed out by weird-looking produce. You can’t judge a tomato by its shape. 

    Next, move things around in your fridge. Put older items up front. That way you won’t forget about them. 

    Finally, do some cooking. Make a lunch out of leftovers. Find creative ways to use food that’s going bad. Blend brown bananas in a smoothie. Cook old tomatoes in a pasta sauce. 

    Those may seem like small steps to take. But every tomato you save means one less moldy tomato ends up in the trash. 

    So how do we stop wasting food? Some companies buy “ugly” fruits and vegetables from farmers. They sell the produce at a low price. Others collect unpicked produce. They give it to food banks.

    But the best place to stop food waste is in your own home. First, don’t be grossed out by weird-looking produce. A tomato with a strange shape still tastes like a tomato. 

    Next, move things around in your fridge. Put older items up front. That way, you won’t forget about them. 

    Finally, do some cooking. Use leftovers to make lunch. Find ways to use older food before it goes bad. Blend brown bananas into a smoothie. Cook old tomatoes in a pasta sauce. 

    Those might seem like small steps. But every tomato you use is one less tomato in the trash. 

    So, what can we do to stop wasting so much food? Many people are focused on solving the problem. Some companies buy “ugly” fruits and vegetables from farmers and sell them cheaply. Others collect unpicked produce and donate it to food banks.

    But right in your own kitchen is the best place to stop food waste. First of all, don’t let weird-looking produce gross you out. Shape is no way to judge a tomato.

    Next, reorganize the items in your fridge. Put older items up front so you won’t forget about them. 

    Finally, do some creative cooking. Make a lunch out of leftovers. Find ways to use food that’s going bad but hasn’t yet spoiled, such as blending brown bananas in a smoothie or cooking old tomatoes in a pasta sauce. 

    Those may seem like small steps to take. But every tomato you save means one less tomato in the landfill.