Monthly Archives: January 2013

Visiting Food Bank Estonia

I am currently in Estonia for the Clean World Brainstorm organized by Let’s Do It! I’m honored to be one of 50 or so waste thinkers from around the globe here to brainstorm about how to reduce waste and clean up the planet. I’ll report back on our progress in a few days. Yesterday, though, […]

January 30, 2013 | Posted in Food Recovery, International | Comments closed

Getting Grocery Rite

This week, while at the Sustainable Foods Summit in San Francisco, I learned more about what the largest supermarket chains and food manufacturers are doing to reduce food waste through the FMI/GMA Food Waste Reduction Alliance. As you can see from this page and their slides (download), the initiative is encouraging and ongoing. On the other […]

January 25, 2013 | Posted in Composting, Repurposing, Supermarket | Comments closed

This Just In: Think. Eat. Save

Exciting News: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Environmental Program and several other partners have joined forces to create Think. Eat. Save, a one-stop shop for your anti-food-waste needs. The global campaign kicked off on January 22, and it aims to accelerate awareness and action on food waste. It’s always encouraging to see […]

January 23, 2013 | Posted in International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Interesting that this Deseret News article focused, at least at the start, on the ugly food/cosmetics facet of food waste. — — Funny, this Voice of America segment on food waste doesn’t exactly sound like the voice of America. But it’s a nice video review of the recent IME report — — Speaking of the […]

January 18, 2013 | Posted in Friday Buffet | Comments closed

Austin’s Año Against Food Waste

Late in December, the Austin City Council declared 2013 the Year of Food Waste Prevention and Recovery in Austin, Texas. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but it’s encouraging and important because: Whereas, America wastes 40 percent of its food; and Whereas wasted food has negative environmental impact and represents a lost opportunity to […]

January 16, 2013 | Posted in Food Recovery, Legislation | Comments closed

A Cucumber’s Tale

This Wall Street Journal video provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the journey to bring Indian produce from farms to consumers. In making this vicarious trip along the supply chain, we glimpse some less-than-ideal handling practices. From unrefrigerated (and often uncovered) transport to bumpy roads to poor storage, the video illustrates the differences between the food […]

January 14, 2013 | Posted in International, Storage | Comments closed

Half Wasted: Headline Review

In reporting yesterday’s big news that 30 to 50% of global food isn’t eaten, many headline writers focused on the higher figure. Here’s a quick roundup to see how various media organizations approached that age-old battle: attention vs. accuracy Misleading Huffington Post UK Los Angeles Times Australian Broadcasting Company The Globe and Mail Daily Mail […]

January 11, 2013 | Posted in International, Stats | Comments closed

Wasting No Time Analyzing New Waste Study

The Institute of Mechanical Engineers just released a major study on global food waste. It’s always exciting to see further research on food waste come to light and Global Food: Waste Not, Want Not is no exception. Its major finding is that 30 to 50% of the world’s food never reaches human stomachs. The lower figure isn’t […]

January 10, 2013 | Posted in International, Stats | Comments closed

Fresh From the Garbage

If this video doesn’t make you want to go dumpster diving, I doubt anything will. Waste Cooking is an Austrian reality show that began airing on television in December (episodes are also online minus the subtitles). Divers hunt and gather what treasures they can from the trash and hold public cooking demonstrations to tempt passersby […]

January 7, 2013 | Posted in Freegan, International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Since food prices are set to increase in 2013, it’s the perfect time to cut waste to keep your food costs steady. The Globe and Mail concurs. Meanwhile, that article contains the astounding fact that “Canadian households waste 38 per cent of their food purchased in store and restaurants.” Whoa. — — This Pittsburgh Post-Gazette […]

January 4, 2013 | Posted in Friday Buffet, Household, International, Supermarket | Comments closed