Americans waste more than 40 percent of the food we produce for consumption. That comes at an annual cost of more than $100 billion. At the same time, food prices and the number of Americans without enough to eat continues to rise.
Fusing my journalistic research on the topic with the work of countless others, this site examines how we squander so much food. Part blog, part call to action, Wasted Food aims to shed light on the problem of, you guessed it, wasted food.
I’ve been researching this topic since 2005, when two experiences made me aware of just how much food is wasted. Volunteering at D.C. Central Kitchen, a homeless shelter that rescues unused food from restaurants and supermarkets illuminated the excess in those areas. Gleaning, or gathering crops that would otherwise be left in the field and distributing them to the hungry, illustrated the agricultural abundance that is often plowed under.
When you’re looking for it, you see food waste everywhere–at restaurants, in large portions and even in your own refrigerator. If more and more people recognize their own food waste, we can take a bite out of this problem.
Hope you’re hungry for change.
I adore your blog! I was thinking of taking a similar direction, but you do it magnitudes better
Hi,
I have had the chance to browse this site very briefly, you know the day that we have had!! I will have to think more about this and where the waste happens.
Thanks for sending me this-I will have to look over this with a less sleep deprived mind.
Yvette
Hi Jonathan,
I’ve chanced upon your website after your posting abt. my esmosphere product. I certainly agree with your observations on food waste in the commercial market. Anything doesn’t look good goes into the bin. It’s common practice everywhere. Really a big waste !
BTW, would you be interested to try out the esmosphere yourself ? I’d be glad to send some samples to you.
regds,
Richard
Interesting project you have going. Also consider all the animal parts that are wasted because of cultural taboos and ill-advised regulations, and all the animals that would be more efficient to farm than beef and pork, if they were only accepted as “normal” foods — kangaroo, ostrich, buffalo, etc.
Check this out…
http://www.weirdmeat.com/
Jon,
I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while that I’ve noticed a change in my “leftover” habits that I attribute to you! I’ve found myself three times in the last week saving portions of leftovers that I would previously have thrown away … but, now I think “I should save this and have it with that little bit of such and such that I saved yesterday.” Just thought you’d like to know you’re impacting some of us lurkers out here in changing our wasteful ways.
market food…
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read….
Hi Jon - I believe we met a few years ago when you were still a student. This blog is great, so glad to find you.
Best wishes -
Billie
–
Billie Karel, Program Coordinator
Pesticide Education Project
206 New Bern Place, Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 833-1123
toll-free: 1-877-NO-SPRAY
billie@pested.org
http://www.pested.org
I’m doing a research paper on how to reduce food waste in kitchens. I got very encouraged when I found your website and others trying to reduce waste.
Hi Jonathan,
I’ve recently discovered your website (linked through No Impact Man). I tend to be a little obsessive about waste so you’ve touched a nerve with me. Just wanted to make a little comment on your entry about making stock. My husband make stock from the Thanksgiving turkey carcass. In addition to the bones and skin, he added an onion; a couple of carrots; limp old celery with the leaves and a few leftover whatnots in the veg drawer of the fridge. It was incredibly rich and tasty. The soup he made from the stock a few days later was outstanding; and it made enough to freeze a few portions.
I’ve asked for a small composter for Christmas because I can’t stand to see the beautiful beet and carrot tops, butternut squash skins and banana peels go in the garbage.
We put apple cores out for the squirrels!
Keep up your wonderful work!
Dee Dee in New Hope, PA
Hey Jon,
I LOVE this blog. I’ve sent the link for the food mill to about 5 friends and told my boyfriend I want one for my birthday. His nose wrinkles every time I open up my compost bin.
We share a lot of things, NY, NC, journalism and frustration at food waste: my brother’s been an organic gardener on LI for some 30 years, my first job out of school was running a soup kitchen on the Upper West Side and I was present at the creation of City Harvest, I still always buy the ‘ugly’ tomatoes at the Carrboro farmers’ market, they taste the same in my gazpacho!
I hope you end up writing a great book and it shakes people up. Keep up the good work!
R.
Rose Hoban, RN, MPH
Health Reporter, North Carolina Public Radio, WUNC
Hi. Great site - I haven’t searched around to see if you’ve ever covered food waste research from the UK (apologies if you have) but there are some links you might be interested in on a post I’ve just written - stuff about food waste in the UK, equivalent to Tim Jones’ studies in the US, and some NGO/Govt attempts to combat the problem. Keep up the good work!
This was a very helpful resource on my topical/persuasive speech in Public Speaking. You were correctly credited for my information, and thank you for the insight into this issue.
I think, also, that Universities all over are wasting unlimited amounts of food in the may a flat rate and take as much as you want. I leave the cafeteria every evening and see trays and trays full of barely touched items and full glasses of milk.
If we change the system to may cheaper amounts (for the student) per item, it would only allow a student to eat that single item.. and would help prevent the freshmen 15..
it’s ridiculous.