Food waste is a common but less talked about problem, especially in
the US. Think of the last time you bought a box of strawberries or
that jug of milk that has been sitting in the fridge for a bit too
long.
More on Food Waste
What Exactly is Food Waste
USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) defines food loss as the
edible amount of food, postharvest, that is available for human
consumption but is not consumed for any reason. It includes cooking
loss and natural shrinkage (for example, moisture loss); loss from
mold, pests, or inadequate climate control; and food waste.
"Ugly" Foods
While the world wastes about 1.4 billion tons of food every year,
the United States discards more food than any other country in the
world: nearly 40 million tons — 80 billion pounds — every year.
That’s estimated to be 30-40 percent of the entire US food supply,
and equates to 219 pounds of waste per person. That’s like every
person in America throwing more than 650 averagesized apples right
into the garbage
