To the Editor:
I often buy discounted meats close to their expiration dates. With the rising prices, especially for beef, I just can’t justify the cost. It makes me wonder: who can afford these high prices?
Interestingly, in the U.S., grocery stores waste around 6 million tons of unsold food every year. About 30% of the food in stores ends up in the trash, according to ReFED. This is alarming, especially considering that retail stores discard nearly 16 billion pounds of food annually. Salads top the list of wasted items, with over 45% of all purchased food going to waste, as reported by Google.
So, what can we do about it? Instead of tossing away perfectly good food, why not lower prices to sell more? This aligns with the basic principle of supply and demand.
For instance, in 2016, France enacted a law prohibiting large supermarkets from throwing away food that’s still edible but nearing its expiration date. Instead, these stores must donate surplus food to charities or food banks. If donation isn’t possible, the food can serve as animal feed, compost, or be transformed into methane fuel.
Globally, about one-third of food is wasted each year, with the U.S. alone discarding around 40%. NPR highlights that when food is thrown away, we lost all the resources used for its production—like water, land, and fuel.
Pope Francis poignantly remarked, “Whenever food is thrown out, it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor.” This reminds us that food waste is an issue we can tackle daily. Each meal gives us the opportunity to make better choices and reduce waste.
Let’s remember the lessons from our childhood: “Eat everything on your plate; there are people starving around the world.”
Chris LaRose
Potsdam
For more information about food waste and how to combat it, you can check out ReFED’s insights on the topic.
Check out this related article: Atos Wins UK DEFRA Contract: Transforming End User Services for a Sustainable Future
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