Tough to Swallow: The Ugly Truth About Food Waste—and how to Stop it

Have you ever stopped to think about what the other half of the meal you couldn’t finish or the leftovers you forgot to eat do to our environment when they are simply thrown away??

If the answer is no, then you happen to be part of the millions of Americans who are unaware of the massive dilemma that is food waste, and in turn, you are probably unaware of how to truly make a difference in your own community as well.?

How Does Food Waste Affect our Environment??

Food waste is not just a ‘waste of food.' In fact, it is actually one of the main reasons for global warming in our world. Despite the fact that food is often thought of as biodegradable and therefore perfectly fine to toss away, the truth is far more grim.

When these items are taken to landfills, they begin to slowly rot. When they do so, they emit a potent greenhouse gas known as methane (21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide) in staggering rates. In fact, 135 million tons of methane gas is released yearly from America’s food waste alone—and that’s not the only issue.?

Not only is this an issue for our environment but it also is an issue for our economy. The amount of food waste in the American household not even including packaged treats and processed foods averages out to nearly 43 billion dollars wasted yearly. In America alone, $197.7 billion is lost in the 1.3 billion tons of food waste we experience yearly. That’s 40% of the food that we receive yearly hitting the bottom of a trash bag rather than our stomachs. Despite all of these staggering food waste numbers, in 2015, 42.2 million Americans lived in food-insecure households.?

What Can We Do To Reduce Food Waste?

It’s never easy to get people involved in something new. But by learning different ways to involve your community and the organizations within it, you can begin a wonderful cause with very few of the ‘beginner’s roadblocks’ that others may face.

There are many ways to get your community involved including social media, getting your company to participate in the volunteer side of it, and, making your home and shopping as simplistic as possible so as to avoid food waste and excess spending.

On top of this, many schools love to participate in community initiatives and the value of mentoring them is immense. Similarly, for the seniors in your community, involving them in these kinds of initiatives can give them the daily activity that creates a better nursing environment for them and ensures that they do not experience senior loneliness in the process.?

Why is it so Hard to Make A Difference?

The problem with food waste management are the outlets it provides. Of course, donations are wonderful, but sometimes they can be rejected solely based on the food laws that protect our local shelters and their guests.?It's the same reason why bake sales and class parties don't usually allow baked goods any longer.

Foodborne illness plays the largest role in these laws, but the unfortunate truth is that there are also individuals that seek to harm our homeless population as well which poses a whole other risk when delivering pre-cooked food items.

However, if you want to make a difference through donations and feel that you may accidentally break the rules, you can review this legal guide to ensure that your donations are up to code and you won’t be receiving a call from a personal injury lawyer any time soon.?

By using these tools above, you can begin to create a cause that is truly making a difference in your community’s food waste crises starting today. Through these efforts, you can nurture and uplift these initiatives to create a community-building action that benefits all of our futures.

In the end, the cause is not just food waste management but rather building a future not only we can be proud of but our children after us can be proud of as well.?