EcoWatch - Over a third of the world’s food that’s produced gets lost or wasted each year. This happens while over 820 million people worldwide are affected from hunger. Some of this food, particularly in the United States, often ends up in our landfills emitting greenhouse gases, and taking forever to decompose. According to a 2018 report by the Waste Journal, landfills have 10-15 years left of landfill capacity. Ten-thousand U.S. landfills have already closed having reached capacity with 3,000 active landfills left.
Facts
- According to the USDA, in the United States alone, 30-40 percent of the food supply is wasted.
- Half of all produce is thrown away in the US because it is too ‘ugly’ to eat. This amounts to 60 million tons of fruit and vegetables. ‘Ugly’ fruit and vegetables make up a third of all wasted food.
- In Europe, 40-60% of fish caught are discarded because they do not meet supermarket quality standards. Nearly 50% is discarded in the United States.
- A survey conducted by Respect Food reported that 63% of people don’t know the difference between “use by” and “best before” dates. “Use by” dates indicate perishable items. “Best before” can be eaten after the given date, but won’t be at its highest quality.
- Food waste is the number one material in US landfills, accounting for 24% of all municipal solid waste.
- When the food in landfills rots, it produces methane, which is one of the most powerful greenhouse gas emissions. About 6%-8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if we stop wasting food.
- Food losses translate into lost income for farmers and higher prices for consumers, giving us an economic incentive to reduce food waste.
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