In case you missed it, here is today’s Today segment on food waste that featured yours truly:
It was downright thrilling to see the issue of food waste on national TV. And it was fun, yet surreal watching myself play the role of “talking head†as I experienced my 15 minutes 15 seconds 8 seconds of fame.
More than anything, I’m excited to see food waste receive the attention it deserves. I’m hoping the piece brings further coverage and nudges the issue more into the national dialogue.
I was really happy the piece illustrated food rescue, by accompanying City Harvest on a local pickup and drop off. More people should know what wonders food recovery groups work (and, I’d add, that they exist nationwide).
And I really liked the neat Madison Square Garden graphic–that was one of those ‘picture says a thousand words’ moments.
The homemade pesto mom raised an interesting point about saving leftovers only to throw them away two days later. If you find yourself doing that, 
try planning a leftover night, cooking half the recipe or serving smaller portions.
Also, I wonder how long that nice, guilt-delaying woman cleaned her fridge before the film crew arrived. I know it’d take me a while to make mine presentable.
Most of all, I’m wondering how much candy it took to bribe that little boy to say, “I don’t want this pasta.†Oh, and I loved how they used that fun font to spell out his quote (pictured).
Anyway, I could go on for hours, but I’m curious: What did you think of the piece? What did it do well or not well?
Comments
34 responses to “Today Day”
Haven’t watched that, as I’m not in the US, but on the note of food waste getting attention, down here in Exeter, UK I’ve recently seen a few billboards on bus stop shelters that were about food waste. One stating the UK wastes 1/3 of its food, another that we waste £10 billion in food per year, IIRC. They were put up/sponsored by recycledevon.org, which I think is a campaign by the local waste disposal authorities.
I just saw the segment on wasted food. I was not shocked at all by the information that was given to America. I have been on several missions trips to Jamaica, worked in inner city schools and I have been highly aware of the problem America has with wasting food. My father and mother-in-law are from Berlin and I have heard countless stories about the days of the war and stealing potatoes just to stay alive during the War. Americans, as a whole, are wasteful, picky and selfish when it comes to food. In my opinion, the problem will not go away unless drastic things happen, sadly. It does not become reality unless one experiences the lack of food–whether thats in America or visiting a place that lacks food sources.
I really thought that The Today Show missed out on mentioning ways to store our foods so that they last longer. For example, using vacuum sealers and those new green bags for preserving our produce until we can eat them. I use those green bags and my produce lasts for weeks and are reuseable! I love them and so far those green produce bags have saved me a lot of money. Walmart sells them for half the price of what they cost on TV and I don’t have to go to the store as often to pick up my fresh produce. We can also freeze our leftovers,as I do, than I can have them all on a leftover night or nights. I am single and eating all the food I buy is mandatory.
Also thank you Jonathan for the site and everything you do to help. I feel ashamed about filling the Madison Square Garden with wasted food. I hope we all will think hard and long about this one.
I think the reluctance to eat leftovers is something more people need to overcome. I cook in bulk and then we eat it for 2-3 nights. It saves us time in cooking and it means we eat less, as I often take out the first night’s portion from the big batch. Leftovers make our life easier! The mother in the segment who said that leftovers don’t look so appetizing–they look fantastic at the end of a hard day.
One thing they didn’t talk about was freezing the leftovers. We freeze ours in lunch-sizes. Defrosting some home made food for lunch is cheap and healthier.
I also wish they had spoken about planning your meals in advance when you shop. That way, you don’t load up on produce you won’t use at the grocery store or you pledge to change a menu to incorporate the new item.
I also think that food has become part of our constantly disposable culture. Don’t want any more? Throw it away and get something new. But food doesn’t just magically appear at the grocery store and it doesn’t just disappear if we don’t want it anymore. It lacks value. I agree we’d waste less if we personally knew more people who lacked food.
Julius, I’d love to see those billboards. Any chance you could send in a photo or two? (to wastedfood at gmail dot com)
Leslie, your German father and mother-in-law share much with Americans who’ve lived through the Depression era shortages, and to a lesser extent World War II rationing. Those folks learned to value food! I’m curious what you mean when you write that we’re ‘selfish’ with our food? Thanks for sharing.
Terry, it’s nice to hear a bona fide testimonial to those green bags
. And now that you mentioned it, I am surprised that they didn’t talk about storage products in the tips at the end.
Well said, Rachel. I’m with you on the leftover front. I’m almost always excited to eat what I’ve previously prepared. I think that reluctance is a mindset.
I wanted to smack that child who said he didn’t like the pasta. When I was growing up my parents would have said, “well that’s what’s for dinner. So you’ll eat it or go to bed hungry.” And we always ate it. 😉 I think placating children might be a reason there’s so much food wasted. Personally, I’m buying a composting bucket today. I know it’s not “wasted” food, but I’ll feel better that my scraps and peelings aren’t contributing to landfills!
I wasn’t surprised by the waste of food. My 90 yr. old mother has always been a person to waste food. She will buy whatever she likes and when it has reached it’s final days; tosses it. I couldn’t understand why, until I talked with her about the Depression. She was raised in CA. and didn’t experience a lack of anything. I have never needed for anything, in my lifetime. I am not a waster of food. I save the leftovers and experiment with ways to use them in different dishes. It is appalling that people can thoughtlessly toss out good food.
Thank you to the Today show for sharing your and your website with us. I have signed up for your newsletter.
Jon, I just saw the Today Show clip and really enjoyed it! I thought you did a great job. I’m so glad to see that this very important topic is getting more notice from mainstream media.
I really think that education is the most important weapon in the fight against food waste. I know that I am tempted to toss food — and I consider myself to be a socially-conscious person — when I’m not 100% sure about the proper way to store or reuse it. It’s one thing to choose to eat food you’re unsure about; it feels so much harder to choose to serve that same food to my husband and children when I’m not sure if it’s safe for them to eat. I wish I knew so much more about food safety and storage.
I remember once seeing a chart that gave the actual shelf-life of common household food products — everything from spices to mayonnaise to steak sauce — and I meant to clip it out and refer to it often. I think so many people are like me and tend to err on the side of caution when opening up that old jar of something in the back of the fridge. Anyway, I’d love to have a handy reference guide like the one I remember seeing. I think it was in a Martha Stewart Living magazine, but I’m not sure.
I also agree heartily with pesto mom about the delayed guilt of tossing leftovers. Her point reminds me how psychological the whole food buying/food wasting problem is. Personally, I think most of us shop how we want to be and eat/waste how we really are.
Last thing: HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR ERIC RIPERT’S LEFTOVERS??
Well done.
I checked out your site after seeing that segment. Thanks for all this great information. I wish we had curbside pickup of compostables. I hate tossing stuff that I know can be made into compost, but I rent. I’m still looking through your links and posts.
Thanks! It’s now a stumbleupon fav.
Great story on Going Green man!
I saw you on the today show and am looking forward to browsing you blog to find out more about wasted food products.
Keep writing, you are quite talented.
It wont be long before everyone gets on the green ban wagon.
I thought the piece was great, definitley could have been a little longer. I grew up in a household where Mom told us “there are starving children all over the world, eat your food!”. When I grew up I realized there were starving children next door! I hardly ever waste food because that thought always goes through my mind. Especially when I go to a restaurant that serves ginormous portions. We definately have a problem with understanding the word “disposable”. I hope, no, I know your piece will make people think twice about wasting food. I also agree on the education of proper food storage to encourage people to eat leftovers. Our time on this earth is a gift and I think we should do everything we can to make a positive impact on it. Thank you for doing what you do!
I came to your blog after watching the clip. I was so glad they did that segment. I wish it were longer and offered more advice. But I think it’s a good start.
I, too, have been teaching my family about the environment, being green, and not wasting food or gas (or anything for that matter). I have witnessed the wasteful ways of the supermarkets and wanted to do something but wasn’t sure how to go about it.
For example, at Trader Joe’s, they throw out the entire carton of eggs when there is any broken eggs. The other day, I saw at least 7 cartons of eggs in the waste basket and I was just furious. I wanted to ask if they would allow me to take the unbroken eggs but was afraid of being “labeled.” I do shop there very often and don’t really enjoy being stared at.
Do you have any advice as to how to approach this type of issues? Would it be appropriate if I ask the store employee or would I have to scavenge in the dumpster?
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and having this blog. I sure will spend some time to learn from you.
Ashley, you’ve hit on one of the main causes of food waste: the notion that since ‘I’m not quite sure, so I’m not gonna take a chance.’ To a certain extent, I understand how the psychology changes when you’re serving anyone other than yourself. But I can only imagine how much that is amplified when you’re serving kids.
All I can say is that I think there’s plenty of room for improvement if we use our common sense. And if that fails–ask your grandparents! We all have some familial wisdom somewhere along the line.
I have seen a similar guide somewhere, but I thought it was also quite conservative in its dates.
CSN, there’s no chance TJ’s is gonna let you take home those eggs. It’s unfortunate and what drives many people to dumpster dive. They’d be afraid of the liability in terms of salmonella contamination (and would much rather have you pay for your eggs, naturally). I wish it weren’t so.
It mentioned that food prices have gone up 10+% in the piece over the last year. How much do prices usually go up on the national level in a given year?
Maybe I’m the only one who thought Matt’s comment at the end was a little off topic.
You’re website is so interesting! I’m going to email my grocery store the link.
I was very happy to see hunger and food waste addressed on a national network. However, although City Harvest was highlighted, the piece missed a HUGE opportunity by not going beyond NY. The piece could have informed people about America’s Second Harvest – which is a huge natinowide food rescue/food bank program.
Also, aside from shopping prudently and using everything we buy, information on where to find their local food bank/food pantry, how they can help with time money or donations, and food recycling programs would have been great. World Hunger Year, The Hunger Site and America’s Second Harvest are starting places. Unfortunately SecondHarvest.org only lists affiliated food banks & pantries. Keep up the good work!
Reginald, I’ve received a few emails about Matt’s comment on how driving to the store more often will mean more gas expended. You’re not alone, there. For the record, I think more frequent shopping is a nice, but antiquated notion. If we all lived in cozy villages with a butcher, baker, candlestick maker, etc…Instead, I’d advise people to put more time into meal planning and creating tight shopping lists (and sticking to them). Here are my five main tips.
As for the average price increase–it’s usually around 3 percent. For more detailed info, check out The Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. The last five years, the food and beverage annual average CPI index has been 3.9, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4 and 2.1 percent.
I am not American, but I had the opportunity to live in that country for a while.
It broke my heart to see how people threw food away as if it were nothing. It still hurts to remember that.
When you see how other people live in the world and how hard it is for others to survive and/or buy food, you understand how painful it is to see these Americans throwing food away without realizing what they do.
I used to live with an American family. They would go to the grocery store every single Friday and buy food like for ten people, when they were only three! A father, a mother, and a little girl.
A couple of days would go by and I had to see half of what they bought in the garbage can. Their answer: “It’s old.”
So why, why would you buy so much?! Why? If you don’t need it, DON’T BUY IT!
Some Americans like to think that they are “educated” and “better” than the rest of the world, and don’t realize how pathetic, selfish, and ignorant they are.
(I apologize to all of you who are not like the ones I’m describing. But this is something that makes me feel extremely angry.)
Magali, I can see you’re passionate about the topic! You’re right in that many Americans buy way too much food. Unfortunately, this is not just an American trait.
I’m curious: What country are you from and how would you describe the food waste situation there?
Great segment! Glad you got some airtime to further your cause. I only wished they had talked more about other options for reducing food waste. A key one for me is purchasing my produce from the farmer’s market. Since the produce is so much fresher it lasts me much longer so i can make sure I use it up. I don’t compost yet – but I’m planning on it. However I’m lucky in that my inlaws are raising pigs so alot of my lefotver produce remnants feed them. I’m much more conscious of leftovers and try to find ways to recreate new meals so it doesn’t seem so monotonous. Sometimes its successful sometimes not but it’s a learning process.
Hi Jonathan – I watched the clip this morning and well done, it’s a great piece. One question I’ve been meaning to ask you is about restaurant portions. Whenever friends come back to the U.K. from a visit to the U.S. I invariably hear things like…”and you should have seen the amount of food on the plate…servings were enormous”. They can never managed the total serving so leave a lot of it on their plate. Is this generally the case across restaurants in the U.S. or is it a problem normally found mainly at tourist destinations and/or fast food restaurants?
Jonathan,
I saw the segment on the Today show and was astounded with the number crunching results they showed of how much the average family wastes every month! It’s sickening to think of how many people in the US are starving and we’re just throwing food down the drain or in the garbage!
I wish more info. had been given on Second Harvest. What a great organization. There needs to be more awareness about local food charities. I’m happy to say that our local schools are supporting them in our area. Awareness needs to start early.
I love your site and your humor…keep it up!
Loved the piece and you were great. When our boys were growing up we had weekly “every man for himself” nights to get rid of leftovers. I’d put out all the little dishes and make one fresh thing, usually a salad or some bread or both. Anything left over after that went in the trash, but there usually wasn’t much. Kids like that sort of impromptu method of serving and eating. It’s all in the salesmanship!
A couple of other comments: Your readers lament that Today didn’t cover more about storage, etc. I’m sure there will be more to come on that topic. Saving money and/or resources is the hottest topic going on shows like that.
As far as cleaning your plate because there are starving children on the planet, eating food just because it’s there is also a waste. Plus it makes for fat kids.
AMA,
It’s really difficult to generalize about portion sizes at U.S. restaurants–wait, no it’s not. I’d say your friends are about right. The standard practice seems to be ‘give ’em more than they need.’
SS, I like the “every man for himself” way of framing leftover night–sounds fun. Just don’t start selling snake oil!
That was a pretty good piece. I think the best part was showing what an average house wastes in a MONTH. Goodness, I think we could live off that for 3 weeks! I think the advice about shopping more frequently doesn’t work – we don’t waste a lot, but we try to shop less frequently and have our basics on hand.
Dealing with toddlers and food waste is a challenge, and actually something I’ve been thinking a lot about since finding your blog about a month ago. There are many schools of thought – eat it or else; give them an option; eat it or go hungry; cook something they’ll eat. There are also issues of eating disorders to be concerned about. We go between ‘go hungry’ or ‘cook something they’ll eat.’ My 3-year-old child would definitely say “I don’t want the pasta” or “I don’t like pesto.” I don’t think there was a bribe involved in that one. And our response was “Well, eat it or go hungry.”
I participate in “Pantry Challenges” from time to time; an online group commits to trying to shop less and use items from the pantry/fridge/freezer/garden as a way to economize. That is another angle the story could taken.
Bridget,
I’m with you–I don’t advocate shopping more frequently. I think that’ll ultimately just lead to more food in the house. It might work for some people, but probably not for most.
I don’t doubt that that boy could state his preferences, just marvelling at the coincidence of catching it on camera. Handling children’s eating habits sound like tough decisions. I don’t envy parents on that front.
Hi Everyone,
I did like the segment on the Today show. This is the first step in educating Americans exactly how much waste is piling up in our already overburdened landfills. I would suggest, though, that instead of going to the store more often, utilize the “scraps” to make another meal- (maybe a broth, or sauce, or just for flavor). Believe it or not, they make for a tasty meal!
In my composting business, I have been contacted by truck drivers who have had loads turned away. Unfortunately, the local food banks can get overloaded and may not be able to take the food items. This, in turn, triggers them to call for garbage pick up or pick up from a composting facility, if they’re lucky.
Composting food waste on site is another way to complete the circle, including composting in your own home (vermicomposting is my preferred method). My business encourages customers to compost pre and post consumer food waste, using our heated unit. This gives them a raw compost product that they can either use on their property, or donate a portion to a green area/ garden activity of our city. Here is a link to our last composting project- http://www.oncenter.org/enewsletter/
I love that this was addressed on tv. And you looked great! :] We do tend to waste a lot. Some of us know it and try to change our habits. But, some just don’t even think about it. This was a nice little reminder!
I think “The Today Show” segment was great.
There is a bit of “preaching to the converted” when one has a website, that someone has to make a conscious decision to click on.
A TV show casts a wider net to speak to people of a backgrounds and mindset.
I too liked the Madison Square Garden graphic! It really drove the point home.
-Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advocate
http://thenonconsumeradvocate.wordpress.com
Jonathan, about those billboards: I’m not going past there again for a few days, but I’ve included as my URL the campaign’s website if you’re interested. I’ll try to snap a picture when I get the chance, though.
I liked the visual of one week’s worth of waste a lot (though – who wastes eggs? They last in the fridge for just about ever)
I’m a mom of a toddler who is drastically underweight, and we’ve been advised by various pediatricians & nutritionists to never, ever have a power struggle with him over food.
So we eat a lot of little meals, at least half of them things we know he’ll eat. And at the meals aimed more at big people (dinner each night) he gets a tiny smidgen of food on his plate, then more if he wants. It doesn’t eliminate food waste – I found a pbj in the diaper bag this morning when I was restocking it – but it cuts it down quite a bit. He doesn’t seem to be any more picky than any other toddler (he ate squash & lentil casserole last night, but turned up his nose at broccoli rabe)
These comments are great…the bit I liked the best was the visuals…scraping of the obviously good food into the trash, the still tasty looking shrimp, and most of all, the visual of the average monthly waste! I was shocked, seeing it all laid out like that.
A camp I worked at teaches the kids this mantra:
Take what you need, eat what you take!
I want to comment on Second Harvest as well…I’m from Ontario and so hadn’t heard of this organization until coming across a link in my research. I can’t say that Second Harvest appeals to me. With ConAgra and Kraft as their most respected partners, it is clear that combating the bigger structural problems around food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty and obesity are not their aims. These companies are in it for profit, nothing more — don’t kid yourself. We need to extract them from the equation when we’re talking about feeding the poor. Thats why I was happy that City Harvest was shown in the interview, because they are serving nutritious, REAL food! (Kraft Dinner and Cheerios are NOT food
Rosa,
From what I hear, steer clear of pasta with pesto. It sounds like you’re doing a good job minimizing food waste, which is all you can do because, with kids, you’re never going to eliminate it.
Moe,
A2H (Second Harvest) has some detractors, for sure. But I wouldn’t lump them in with those massive food companies just because they get support from them. A2H is still feeding a lot of people–with both healthy and not-so-healthy foods.
Also, say what you will about Cheerios and other mainstream processed foods, but many people with the means to eat whatever they want choose to eat them. I do like that camp mantra, by the way.
Hi Jonathon,
I haven’t visited in a while and was delighted to see that you were on the Today Show. That was a great segment. I belong to a CSA and find that sometimes it’s hard to use up all the food before the next pick-up date – especially when some things come in all at once. We have a tiny freezer and don’t want to increase our carbon imprint by buying a larger one. We just have to learn to be more inventive with our cooking.
Thanks for your work.
Dee Dee