Photo Source: https://twitter.com/stophungerusa/status/671342932201357313 Hi everyone my name is Sandy Flores. During my time at California Lutheran University (Cal LU) for my food service management rotation, I worked to create an awareness amongst the college students regarding food waste. Food waste is the topic of the most recent documentary Wasted! The Story of Food Waste produced and narrated by world renown chef Anthony Bourdain. He along with chefs Dan Barber, Mario Batali, Sean Brock, Danny Bowien and Massimo Bottura do their best to show the global issue of food waste and ways they preserve food. The documentary takes the viewer through the different steps of the food recovery hierarchy provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (seen to your left). Over a period of 90 minutes your eyes are opened to the reality of food waste in America, but you also see the light and hope at the end of the tunnel. There is a charge placed on you to change your ways and reduce your waste. It definitely did that for me.
In the U.S. alone food waste falls in the range of 30-40% of the food supply (USDA – Office of the Chief Economist). This is concerning considering that 41.2 million people in the U.S. live with food insecurity (USDA – Economic Research Service). Efforts to reduce food waste could perhaps be one of the solutions to food insecurity. It also reduces methane emissions from landfills which can help our environment.
Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow Strategy includes eliminating waste by 2025. On October 23rd – 27th, during Sodexo’s Wasteless week campaign I was able to share with college students at Cal LU fun facts on food waste and the importance of reducing waste. Other activities during the week included weighing liquid, paper, and food waste during one lunch period, informing students about the campus partnership between the dining area and the campus SEED garden through recycling fruit and vegetable scraps for composting, and pledging to waste less. The student’s response was great as they were eager to pledge to reduce less food, water, and energy. If you want to join the cause in reducing food waste and lower your carbon footprint here are some ways to do so at home (United States Environmental Protection Agency):
In the U.S. alone food waste falls in the range of 30-40% of the food supply (USDA – Office of the Chief Economist). This is concerning considering that 41.2 million people in the U.S. live with food insecurity (USDA – Economic Research Service). Efforts to reduce food waste could perhaps be one of the solutions to food insecurity. It also reduces methane emissions from landfills which can help our environment.
Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow Strategy includes eliminating waste by 2025. On October 23rd – 27th, during Sodexo’s Wasteless week campaign I was able to share with college students at Cal LU fun facts on food waste and the importance of reducing waste. Other activities during the week included weighing liquid, paper, and food waste during one lunch period, informing students about the campus partnership between the dining area and the campus SEED garden through recycling fruit and vegetable scraps for composting, and pledging to waste less. The student’s response was great as they were eager to pledge to reduce less food, water, and energy. If you want to join the cause in reducing food waste and lower your carbon footprint here are some ways to do so at home (United States Environmental Protection Agency):
- Plan your next grocery store trip to buy no more than the amount you expect to use.
- Make sure you look at foods you already have at home to avoid rebuying.
- Store fruits and vegetables appropriately.
- Freeze or preserve excess fruits and vegetables.
- Store bananas, apples and tomatoes by themselves as they release natural gases as they ripen. As a result, this makes other produce spoil faster.
- Wash berries right before consumption to prevent mold.
- Use leftovers again the next day in a different recipe.
- Know the meanings behind “sell-by”, “use-by”, “best-by”, and expiration dates as a lot of these foods can still be consumed
- Eat foods less considered such as “ugly produce”.
- Consider smaller portions at a restaurant and take-home leftovers, if any.
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Sources:
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service. (2017).
Key Statistics and Graphics. Retrieved from
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2017). Reducing Wasted Food at
Home. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Chief Economist. (n.d).
Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from https://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/faqs.htm
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service. (2017).
Key Statistics and Graphics. Retrieved from
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2017). Reducing Wasted Food at
Home. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Chief Economist. (n.d).
Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from https://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/faqs.htm
