An estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of the food produced in the world goes uneaten

Hard data is still being collected, but experts at the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit in Chicago this week said an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of the food produced in the world goes uneaten.

The average American throws away 33 pounds of food each month -- about $40 worth -- according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, which plans to publish a report on food waste in April.

In a year, that means each person throws away almost 400 pounds of food, the weight of an adult male gorilla.

Experts say reducing waste is a simple way to cut stress on the environment while easing pressure on farmers, who will be called on to feed an expected 9 billion people around the world in 2050, versus nearly 7 billion today.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said 33 million tons of food waste hit landfills and incinerators in 2010, the largest solid waste product in the system. EPA has launched a program to address the issue.

Experts from EPA and other groups have floated a variety of recommended fixes. They say clarifying "sell by" and "use by" dates could help consumers avoid throwing food in the garbage too soon. Some food could be "rescued" and used in soup kitchens, while certain leftovers could be used as animal feed.

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Wow, thats an incredible amount of wasted food, when so many are hungry!
Not to mention the waste of money in such hard times.

I'm interested in what others do with the fresh produce that is about to cross the line of going to waste.

These are my "normal" using up of produce and leftover refrigerator food that I do:

Fruit
1. Smoothies, milkshakes, or malts.
2. Cut up in advance for on the go snack.

Raw veggies
1. Chef Salad. My family loves red or green bell peppers and onion in my salad as well as carrots, celery, radishes, cucumbers and tomato.
2. Cut up in advance for on the go snack
3. Great in homemade soups and stew
4. Great addition to casseroles

Meat (leftovers)
1. Chef Salad. Just about any meat (except fish) is a great addition.
2. Turkey in gravy or hamburger in gravy over mashed potatoes
3. Homemade potpie (gets veggies used up too)

Other
1. Rice. I like to cook a box of beef rice or mexican rice (any flavor or plain would work) and add chopped up hamburger or chicken, peas and corn, and a bit of salsa mixed in for some zing. YUM!
2. Have "slop night" where you take everything out of the fridge that needs eaten and make a meal out of it. This is great when you're too tired to hurried to cook.
3. Take leftovers to work for lunch (I save alot of money this way by not eating out).
4. If all else fails, dehydrate fruit and veggies for food storage.

ALWAYS take stock of what is in the refrigerator and cupboard before you go shopping.
I almost never have to throw food away by doing these things.

reply to post by tinker9917

The average American throws away 33 pounds of food each month -- about $40 worth -

Was this study just about Potatoes?

Find me 33 lbs of food that only costs $40.

reply to post by tinker9917


Comes as no surprise because I know all supermarkets and other "food stores" throw away loads of food that they don't sell, Most if it could be sent to places where food is needed, But I guess there is no profit for them in it..

I didn't notice how much food I was wasting until the city started making us separate our garbage. When I saw what was going into the "Green Bin", it was time to make some changes.

Now, most leftovers are frozen in portion sizes. I watch the fruits and vegetables so they get used before they spoil. And stuff gets used in meals based on using it up, not based on what I feel like eating.

Food waste is almost zero in my house, and anyone can do that with very little effort. But it only serves to save me a bit of money each month. Me not throwing away food won't ever put more food on the plate of someone who really needs it.

reply to post by MoneyIsWorthless


Yeah, I thought of that too. Why doesn't our local grocery store call the local food cupboard and donate? Because then the people wouldn't HAVE to come to the store and buy it.

reply to post by tinker9917


Now I didn't mean local places, But places in the world where it could be used. It is possible to freeze the food so it won't get contaminated. Everything should be free anyways. There's no need to have the system we have now that only serve a certain few with money.

Yep, last time I cleaned out the fridge, I was appalled at how much food had gone to waste.
We try to plan a lot better now, and tend to get things that last longer too.

Anything that will go within days (like produce), we make sure we eat in time.

reply to post by tinker9917


With the amount of people that starve these numbers are devastating.

Perhaps back in the day when there was ice boxes and the milk man and bread man etc...came door to door on a regular basis things weren't as throw away as they are now because people couldn't consider the idea of having more then needed on hand for more then a few days at a time.

I think community gardens are a great idea instead of growing more food then you need why not share with your neighbors!

Perhaps in some cases the old ways were the simple ways!!

Great post, OP. S&F. I saw a special something like this on Food Network. They talked about all the food that goes to waste because it isn't "perfect" to sell in grocery stores because we are trained to look for perfection when choosing fruits and vegetables especially. Anything that's not perfect gets chucked, even though, whlie not "perfect" it's still eatable. All the starving people in the world and we just let food rot on the vine...