As a follow-up to my last blog on how we feed a growing world population, I wanted to continue onto food waste and just a few programs that are currently making an impact. So much more is needed to properly be addressing waste. Americans throughout our nation throw out almost half the amount of food that has been produced or further processed.

We are slowly making strides in building awareness on how much food is wasted. There are a number of organizations that have sprung up from the manufacturer side all the way to local school levels. I have read numerous articles citing an ambitious federal goal of a 50% reduction by 2030 — although I have not been able to find the plan on how to achieve this. Neither the increased awareness on minimizing the amount of food wasted nor that goal has translated into tangible progress, yet! Did you know that currently we are ninth — ninth — out of 34 nations ranked on the food sustainability index for food loss and waste in the world? That’s a horrible statistic!

Some of the avenues that are working and just need to be expanded through various organizations include:

*Creating partnerships between manufacturers and their communities to donate excess food to programs such as food banks
Early awareness programs set up on a local level to educate our next generation, teaching them what they can do and how they can impact the future on a singular level
Competitions between schools to see who can reduce the most waste in the actual schools
Some companies have even taken a proactive posture in implementing pre-consumer waste tracking software
On the culinary side, there are a group of chefs that have adopted a repurposing of by-products into edible and saleable products — mostly restaurant-level only
Major cities and smaller towns have introduced compost programs to keep food waste out of the landfills

I am going out on a limb here but most of us don't realize how much food they throw away every day — from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce. In 2015, we disposed 37.6 million tons of food waste. About 94 percent of the food we throw away ends up in landfills or combustion facilities. By managing food sustainably, shopping smart and reducing waste, we can help businesses and consumers save money, provide a bridge in our communities for those who do not have enough to eat, and conserve resources for future generations.

Most ideas fall into common sense practices. I have to say it hit home last week when I was cleaning my own refrigerator and started pitching a few items that were on the verge of science experiments tucked in the back. I also spent the time to separate food from the containers then recycled and composted. Baby steps.

So, I want to leave you with this thought and question: What are you doing either on a personal level or company level to address these issues?

I’d am curious to read your thoughts and replies. Please share.

Global food waste: Think before you pitch it

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