I was recently contacted by Tiffany McAdams who highlighted the great graphic attached below that looks at solving the food waste problem. The infographic a great way to highlight facts and information and to make us reconsider what we’re doing. I think we all know that we’re generally very wasteful with food and its packaging but we feel that it’s normal and everyone is doing it, so why not? Well, normal doesn’t mean good. If we all instantly readjusted, bought less, ate less, consumed less and discarded less, then the world would be under less stress and a happier place.
Here’s Tiffany’s introduction to the infographic. I hope you find this interesting.
Solving the Food Waste Problem – by Tiffany McAdams
Food waste is part of a growing list of global problems that include energy production and population control. About 2.8 trillion pounds of food go to waste each year which could feed 40% of the world’s population.
Roughly 30% of food goes to waste in the U.S. every year. This comes out to about 133 billion pounds of food and costs 162 billion dollars. While these initial figures seem excessive, several organizations and countries have created solutions to help fix the situation.
In France, supermarkets have implemented new procedures that prevent them from throwing away food waste. New laws require that all expired food must either be composted or donated to a shelter or organization. Germany is making similar changes with their policies. Companies are in the process of updating their definition of expiration dates. This means food will be marked as safe for a longer duration, not just when businesses choose to take them off the shelf.
Several independent companies are also teaming up to take on the problem. MealConnect created an app where restaurants and stores can list their extra produce and meat. Food banks are then able to browse the app for food and pick it up from the restaurant or store directly. The Food Recovery Network is also creating change on college campuses. By using student volunteers, they created a system that delivers food from the campuses directly to the shelters and food banks that need it most.
Eliminating food waste is a problem that needs everybody onboard. Whether it’s starting your own business to fight against food waste or consuming less food from the beginning, everyone can play a role in eliminating food waste. To find out more about the food waste crisis, check out the infographic below from Investment Zen.
— Tiffany McAdams – writing on http://www.investmentzen.com
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