How much food is wasted a year?

How much food is wasted a year?

72 billion pounds of food is lost each year, not including waste at home. Approximately 72 billion pounds of perfectly good food—from every point in the food production cycle—ends up in landfills and incinerators every year.

How much food gets wasted every day?

Americans waste about a pound of food per person each day, with people who have healthier diets rich in fruit and vegetables the most wasteful, research has found. About 150,000 tons of food is tossed out in US households each day, equivalent to about a third of the daily calories that each American consumes.

How can we save food waste?

Top 5 ways to cut down on food waste

1. Don’t over buy. Keep track of what you’ve bought and used.
2. Check the use-by dates of fresh food when you buy it. These are the dates to take notice of, rather than the best-before dates.
3. Plan ahead.
4. Get to know your grocer.
5. Love your freezer.

How much landfill waste is food?

Food is the largest single source of waste in the U.S. More food ends up in landfills than plastic or paper. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 20 percent of what goes into municipal landfills is food.

Why we should never waste food?

Composting food and diverting it from entering landfills helps prevent the creation of global greenhouse gas emissions and protects the environment. Wasted food is not only detrimental to the environment but also costs consumers, businesses and taxpayers substantial amounts of money.

What the Bible says about wasting food?

According to the Bible, food is wasted by the foolish (Proverbs 21:20), unbelievers’ “excesses of dissipation” (1 Peter 4:3-5), gluttony and greediness (Proverbs 25:16; Isaiah 56:11; Philippians 3:19), God’s judgement (Isaiah 62:8; Jeremiah 5:17) and injustice (Proverbs 13:23).

When should you throw away leftovers?

According to the FDA Food Code, all perishable foods that are opened or prepared should be thrown out after 7 days, maximum. No leftovers should survive in your fridge for longer than that. Some foods should be even be thrown away before the 7 day mark.

Is it OK to throw food on the ground?

After all, food waste is biodegradable. Besides, something will come along and eat it. It’s not like you’re littering by throwing a candy wrapper or a plastic bottle into the woods. But that orange peel or handful of trail mix you toss on the ground can cause a lot more damage than you may think.

Can I just throw food scraps in my garden?

If you have a garden, you can bury your scraps right there and let them compost underground. Just keep your kitchen scraps in a plastic bucket with a lid. Potato peels, citrus rinds, greens, leftover vegetables, eggshells and bread—just about any nonmeat food residues can be easily composted.