EAT, DRINK AND BE CHARY
...or How Food Waste is a Garbage Disposal Problem

The recommendation regarding the offerings at the all-you-can-eat buffet is: Take it easy on thirds when it comes to the jalapeño-marshmallow meatloaf!

The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 25% of food is discarded uneaten in the US—nearly 100 billion pounds annually. A large portion of this wasted bounty comes from restaurants and other food-service enterprises. Though many food-service operations make an effort to donate or recycle some of the leftovers, there is still a lot of food that ends up in the dump. Either way, disposing of food waste has an economic cost and an environmental cost, as does growing the food in the first place.

If we can all be more efficient in using food so we throw less out, we can reduce the waste, cost, and environmental impact associated with food. And now, our closing thought: "Doggie bag!"

Further reading:

Eat less, read more... about Food Waste Reduction at Montgomery County, Maryland's web site.

Or, if you are a restaurateur or work in the food-service industry and want to learn more about commercial food-waste reduction, the US Environmental Protection Agency has a primer on the subject.

Publish date: 01-SEP-2002

"What we do today, right now, will have an accumulated effect on all of our tomorrows."

— Alexandra Stoddard
author, interior designer and philosopher of contemporary living