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Don't Waste So Much Food

Lloyd Alter, Toronto

Lloyd Alter

By Lloyd Alter
Toronto, Canada | Sun Mar 23, 2008 01:21 PM ET

Timothy Jones of the University of Arizona studies food loss; he told CBC radio that 50 percent of the food in America, with a value of a hundred billion dollars, is just wasted. It rots in the field when prices are low and farmers don't bother picking it; it is thrown out from supermarkets because it doesn't look perfect or has been on the shelves too long; huge amounts of it are thrown out at fast-food restaurants that leave cooked food on the steam trays or under the heat lamps and throw it away after specified times.

In the home, Americans waste 14 percent of their food purchases, including leftovers and stale dated products. Jones estimates that the average family of four tosses out close to $ 600 per year in fruit, meat, vegetables, and other unidentifiable substances at the bottom of the crisper drawer.

So eat those leftovers, serve the proper portion size, and tighten your belt in the kitchen. Less wasted food means reduced landfill use, less soil depletion, and reduced use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Listen to ::CBC's The Current (Part 3) and ::FoodUSA

Difficulty Level: Easy

 
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