Americans Bin 1,400 Calories Each Day

This week's shocking statistic: 40% of all food in the US is discarded.

That's 1,400 calories per person per day.

Or, enough for an average woman on a low-calorie diet.

This figure came to light through new research, led by Kevin Hall, and published in the journal PLoS ONE.

So, why are we wasting so much food? Some of the waste is due to manufacturing processes, but large amounts are being discarded by consumers.

Think about the times you've binned fruits or veggies that went bad. Or, when you cooked too much and ended up binning it. How about the perfectly edible skins which many of us peel and discard?

In a world where a billion people don't have enough food, and two billion are overweight or obese, there's clearly something wrong. Food waste is also harmful to the environment. As Hall points out:

For example, food waste is now estimated to account for more than one quarter of the total freshwater consumption, and more than 300 million barrels of oil per year, representing about 4 percent of the total U.S. oil consumption.

But, what can you do to reduce your own food wastage?

• Compost vegetable peelings where possible (even better, eat the skins - there's a higher concentration of nutrients immediately under the skin).
• Don't overstock the cupboards. Most of us buy more than we need.
• Weigh out pasta, rice and other dried foods before cooking them, so that you only cook what you'll eat.
• Freeze leftovers, or use them up in a different dish.

(For lots of additional tips, try Love Food Hate Waste.)

As well as preventing unnecessary food production and waste disposal, you'll save yourself some cash. Why pay for food you don't eat?

This week's shocking statistic: 40% of all food in the US is discarded.

That's 1,400 calories per person per day.

Or, enough for an average woman on a low-calorie diet.

This figure came to light through new research, led by Kevin Hall, and published in the journal PLoS ONE.

So, why are we wasting so much food? Some of the waste is due to manufacturing processes, but large amounts are being discarded by consumers.

Think about the times you've binned fruits or veggies that went bad. Or, when you cooked too much and ended up binning it. How about the perfectly edible skins which many of us peel and discard?

In a world where a billion people don't have enough food, and two billion are overweight or obese, there's clearly something wrong. Food waste is also harmful to the environment. As Hall points out:

For example, food waste is now estimated to account for more than one quarter of the total freshwater consumption, and more than 300 million barrels of oil per year, representing about 4 percent of the total U.S. oil consumption.

But, what can you do to reduce your own food wastage?

• Compost vegetable peelings where possible (even better, eat the skins - there's a higher concentration of nutrients immediately under the skin).
• Don't overstock the cupboards. Most of us buy more than we need.
• Weigh out pasta, rice and other dried foods before cooking them, so that you only cook what you'll eat.
• Freeze leftovers, or use them up in a different dish.

(For lots of additional tips, try Love Food Hate Waste.)

As well as preventing unnecessary food production and waste disposal, you'll save yourself some cash. Why pay for food you don't eat?

By Ali Hale

Reprinted from Dietblog