Earth Day: Food Waste

Courtesy: epa.gov/sustainable-management-food

Food waste at storesOut-grading – diverting produce for aesthetic reasons (to animal feed or waste stream)

Disposing is cheaper than reusing – industrial food processing uses trimming; excess trimmings or final products of wrong shape or size are disposed of

Large quantities on display – things reach sell by date before purchase

Food Recovery

2011: 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption lost or wasted (UNFAO)

2015: 39 million tons of food waste (5.3% diverted from landfills for composting)

21% of municipal solid waste is food

18% of total U.S. methane emissions come from landfills (EPA FTGTW)

Food RecoveryPay less for groceries

Pay less for trash pickup

Food Production2012-2014: 805 million hungry people on Earth

Eliminating all food loss and waste would be enough to feed all the chronically undernourished – without having to increase production or land development (UNFAO)

2013: 14.3% of U.S. households were food insecure – that is 48 million people, 16 million of which are children

Feed people, not landfills!

Food ProductionWater

Gasoline

Energy

Labor

Pesticides

Land

Fertilizers

Courtesy: Epa.gov Food Too Good To Waste

Food ProductionIt’s also a pyramid:

It takes 6 kg of plant protein for 1 kg of animal protein7

It takes 28 kilocalories of energy for every kcal of animal protein produced

Food Waste30% meat, poultry and fish

19% vegetables

17% dairy

Courtesy: UNFAO Study conducted for the International Congress at Interpack2011

Courtesy: Epa.gov Food Too Good To Waste

Food DecompositionReduce methane from landfills – rotting food does not return nutrients to the soil, but it does release a potent greenhouse gas

Nutrient rich soil supports more life –including the next round of food

Industrial agriculture does not use manure and compost

Food Decomposition - LandfillsA landfill isn’t a hole in the ground – it’s a carefully engineered facility6

◦ Intended to hold and isolate waste from the environment

◦ There is a liner to prevent groundwater contamination

◦ Storm water drainage

◦ Methane collection

◦ Leachate collection system (for the rainwater that percolates through the garbage)

◦ Final Cover prevents air from entering, reduces water intrusion

Food Decomposition - CompostingWhat is it? The biological breakdown of organic waste by bacteria, fungi, worms and other organisms (add worms and it’s called vermiculture)4

◦ Needs Oxygen, moisture and food (Carbon and Nitrogen) for the decomposers (anaerobic works too – but slower and smellier)

◦ 1 pound of worms can eat 4 pounds of waste per week

◦ Composting is hot – why?

◦ Not just for food – industrial composting can reduce waste stream by 50% (contaminated paper, meat, dairy can be composted)

◦ Industrial composting speeds up the process by shredding all material to small bits and carefully controlling temperature, pH, density, and C & N content

How to Reduce Food Waste

• Smart Shopping• Plan out meals• Make shopping lists with ingredients • Purchase locally sourced produce (lasts longer at home)• More plant based meals (less waste in production)

• Smart Storage• Save leftovers (home cooking and restaurants)• Ripe fruit in fridge• Cheese in wax paper not plastic• First in First out

• Smart Prep• Preparing food early in the week so it is ready to use when you need it

• Eat what you buy• Rotate older food to front so you remember it’s there

How to Reduce Food Waste

Sell by / use by / best by dates3

• "Best if Used By/Before“: indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date

• "Sell-By“: tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date.

• “Use-By“: the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used on infant formula

*assumes safe handling

Questions?

Sourceshttps://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-too-good-waste-implementation-guide-and-toolkit

https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/sustainable-management-food-basics

Global Food Losses and Food Waste. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome, 2011. Study conducted for the international Congress SAVE FOOD! At Interpack2011 Düsseldorf, Germany

3. USDA website accessed 15 April 2019. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/food-product-dating/food-product-dating

4. University of Florida IFAS Extension. “Living Green: Composting”. 2006. Accessed 15 April 2019. http://livinggreen.ifas.ufl.edu/waste/composting.html

5. Schwarz, Mary and Jean Bonhotal. “School Composting – Let’s Get Growing: a guide for student leaders and teachers”. Cornell Waste Management Institute. 2017. Accessed 15 April 2019. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/52083/SchoolCompostingLetsGetGrowing.pdf

6. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. “How Landfills Work”. 2018. Accessed 15 April 2019. https://scdhec.gov/index.php/environment/your-land/landfills-overview/how-landfills-work

7. Cornell Chronicle. “U.S. could feed 800 million people with grain that livestock eat, Cornell ecologist advises animal scientists”. 7 Aug 1997. Accessed 15 April 2019. http://news.cornell.edu/stories/1997/08/us-could-feed-800-million-people-grain-livestock-eat