The authors do a nice job conveying the scale of our waste. But it also gets beyond the numbers, illustrating many of the reasons behind the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted worldwide.

We often discuss the reasons behind waste in the developed world–much of it comes down to consumer behavior and cheap food. On the other hand…

The issue is different in the developing world. Some 35 to 45 percent of the food produced is also lost there every year, but typically well before the supplies even reach buyers….India, the world’s second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables, loses about 40 percent of that production because of mismanagement, inadequate infrastructure and storage, poor transportation, shoddy supply-chain logistics, and underdeveloped markets.

The op-ed is a well-written call for action that will no doubt raise awareness on food waste. Give it a read and pass it on!

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Also in my city–there’s now a program that encourages people to leave food on their porch for raccoons volunteers to collect. Believe it or not, it works well!

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If you’re looking to hear about food wastage in an Aussie accent, right this way!

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Finally, it’s too important to ignore the $5 Slow Food Challenge and the accompanying page of tips for cooking meals for $5 per person or less. Kudos to Mark Bittman and Slow Food USA for showing that cooking real food can cost less than fast food (especially when future health costs are factored in).

Well worth a read: This thought-provoking piece on how famine in East Africa is made all the more absurd by the waste in that region. Shrinking prices lead to no market for some crops. And because there is so little irrigation in use, a draught worsens the situation.

But, as we’ve long suspected…poor distribution is the real problem.

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Dive! winners: Melissa, Katy, and Mira.

Congrats! Get in touch with me via the email address under the “Press” tab.

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Connecticut’s governor just signed a bill requiring composting for businesses producing more than 104 tons of food waste per year. (Question–what influential business produces 103 tons??) But, it’s only compulsory if there’s a composting operation within 20 miles.

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Here’s a glimpse of the potential composting future. Potential. I wonder if the Automate Composter design would make my kitchen caddy less hospitable for fruit flies?

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Can I get an ‘amen’ for Dr. Abdullah?

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Charlotte composting: getting there…

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Finally, I’ll announce the winners of the Dive raffle on Monday. Stay tuned…

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An increasing number of Americans face poverty and, as a result, hunger. Meanwhile, we waste close to half of all food produced domestically.

It’s an American paradox. How can waste and hunger coexist? Two words: poor distribution.

From farm to fork, America squanders 40 percent of its food. Every day, Americans waste enough food to fill the 90,000-seat Rose Bowl. So much of the food that isn’t consumed is perfectly edible, yet we lack the will and the means to collect and distribute it to those in need. That must change.

Food insecurity is the highest it has been since the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began tracking in 1995. In all, 15 percent of American households were “food insecure,” meaning they did not have the resources to obtain adequate nutrition and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Given the number of hungry Americans – and the environmental impact of waste, which is another story altogether – it’s high time we harness the food we now squander. While we struggle to feed everyone today, it won’t get any easier as national and global populations continue to grow.

Utilizing a decent chunk of what we now waste wouldn’t be terribly difficult. We would just need to redistribute edible but unsellable foods. In other words, harvest all of our crops, encourage donations from food manufacturers and wholesalers, and, where necessary, collect unsold food from supermarkets, restaurants, and industrial kitchens. This would go a long way to feeding the low-income Americans who face food insecurity.

Several diligent, non-profit food recovery groups already perform these tasks. In agricultural settings, this usually takes the form of gleaning, where volunteers descend on a farm to pick what would otherwise be plowed under. Major farm food recovery operations, the Society of St. Andrew being the largest, also receive donations by the pallet or truckload on a fairly regular basis. More retail-based solutions occur in urban settings through food recovery groups like City Harvest and D.C. Central Kitchen, which rescue millions of pounds of edible food each year.

A few other steps will help reduce waste.

First, we can adopt a more systematic approach to recovering and redistributing the excess. In particular, agricultural excess could have a major impact. That’s why the USDA should promote food recovery and encourage its constituents to donate. That would mean reminding growers that donation is the best option for extra crops or products they don’t plan to sell.

To keep it simple, the USDA could return to having a federal gleaning coordinator – as was the case under the Clinton-era Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman – a position which didn’t exist before and hasn’t since.

Second, we should establish incentives for farmers to harvest all that they grow. Whether by carrot or by stick, this encouragement needs to happen. Unfortunately, all too often, the price of a good means that it’s not economically viable to harvest entire fields. And, with hand-picked crops, our choosiness sometimes means that produce that is the wrong shape, size, or color stays in the field or tree.

Third, we must begin streamlining tax deductions for food donations and make them open to all donors. This would boost the charitable giving that helps an estimated 21 million Americans to feed their families. Under the current tax code, unincorporated farms aren’t eligible to take such deductions. For growers and retailers able to take these deductions, doing so is anything but easy. As a result, many farms and stores don’t receive any financial benefit when they donate valuable, nourishing goods to those who need them most.

To be clear, many farmers and supermarkets are currently donating food. Yet more could participate.

That’s why the fourth step would be a national database of available recipients and collecting agencies. While most supermarkets donate some items, they’re usually not the foods most needed to provide healthy meals for those in need. Coordination through a database could ensure food donations are better targeted.

Fifth, while stores donate baked goods freely, they’re often hesitant to give perishable foods like proteins and produce. That’s why we must remind potential donors that the 1996 Federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects them from liability when they donate food in good faith, and that donating food is an opportunity to garner positive publicity.

If we as a nation make a commitment to reducing waste and putting our food to better use, the potential rewards are considerable. Based on the numbers, cutting a quarter of our food waste could provide sustenance for all who need it.

In practice, that probably wouldn’t eliminate the need for other hunger relief tools like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) and the National School Lunch Program. But trimming our food waste surely wouldn’t hurt. It would go a long way toward diminishing American hunger.

Or maybe you’ve heard about wasted food’s ramifications before but find yourself in need of a refresher. In either case, it’s never a bad thing to consider why we shouldn’t squander food. So here goes:

There are environmental, ethical and economic reasons why food matters. The environmental implications of food waste alone make it worth avoiding. A massive amount of resources–mostly oil and water–go into producing our food. When we don’t use roughly 40 percent of it, we’re squandering those embedded resources.

In addition, when we send food to the landfill, its anaerobic rotting creates methane. That greenhouse gas is more than 20 times as potent at trapping heat as CO2. Given that and our staggering rate of waste, our food-filled landfills are steadily aiding climate change. Landfills are the number two source of human-related methane emissions. And while some landfills have systems in place to either destroy or harness its methane, they aren’t all that efficient.

From an ethical standpoint, it’s pretty simple. When you consider that 15 percent of U.S. homes are food insecure, throwing away food is morally callous. And no, the food you leave on your plate isn’t going to feed anyone (here or in a developing nation). But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t donate excess food instead of preparing too much. Or buy less food–to reduce the amount you’ll discard–and pass the savings along to your local food bank.

And finally, it doesn’t make much economic sense to throw away a good without using it. That holds true for individuals, families, institutions and government. Depending on spending habits, a family of four throws out between $1,300 and $2,200 a year. And on the whole, America squanders $160 billion annually. In both cases, it’s a waste of money that could better be spent elsewhere.

To be fair, we’re never going to completely eliminate food waste. There will always be some stuff that slips between the cracks. But for all three of the above reasons, we should strive to reduce the waste we do create. Do you care enough to make an effort?

While it’s not quite as grandiose as our Declaration of Independence, the joint declaration has grand ambitions. Most notably, it pushes for:

• A global reduction of food waste by 50% at all steps of the food chain
• The UN to add reducing food waste to Goal #7 (ensure environmental sustainability) of its Millennium Development Goals
• International aid agencies to push food efficiency alongside improvements in agriculture and development
• The European Commission to take a stance on food waste

The document provides a nice model of what could be. Of how we can assert important goals for reducing waste, which will likely prompt action. Next up, hopefully, will be a declaration signed by representatives from all corners of the globe.

About half of the $4.5 billion cost is financed by a cut in food stamps starting in several years.

In your best Jon Stewart voice: Wha-wha-what?!? So we’re making sure students eat better in school by ensuring that they eat worse at home?

…Mr. Obama tamped down concern by telling Democrats he would work with them to find other ways to pay for the bill, before the cuts in food stamps take effect.

OK, that’s cool…if he’s still in office.

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Composting is a fabulous way to handle the food waste that can’t be avoided, but I’m not sure I’d brag about having this much to compost:

The Whole Foods Store in Alpharetta, Georgia, disposes of over one thousand pounds of cuttings and food waste every day.

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Food waste is on the radar in Canada. Well, at least Canada.com tackled the topic.

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And speaking of Canada, I thought my interview on the CBC’s Q (on Dec. 1) was among the best radio discussions on the topic I’ve experienced thus far. [Here's the mp3 if that's better]

People sometimes look at what I do and think about decadence and waste. They see 150 roasted rabbits in a pile and think it’s obscene. But the level of waste in my projects is no greater — and in many cases, much less — than the waste you’d find at the equivalent catered event.

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The Guardian reports that UK retailers cut their waste in half. And grocers have done a bang-up job cutting food waste.

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A Hartford health store owner has created a community kitchen from overstocks, donated produce from farmers and donated food from local organizations.

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The Financial Times comes through with a nice infographic presentation on UK waste. If only they could reproduce that pink newspaper look online.

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Close to (my) home, Chapel Hill is making noise about recycling food waste. Not a moment too soon!

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Finally, I enjoyed this heartfelt editorial from the UMass paper, which reminded me how few causes I had in college. I did have plenty of fun, though.

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Marin County (California) is set to go zero four percent waste.

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Speaking of zero waste, Mrs. Green over at My Zero Waste has been crushing it with her National Zero Waste Week. Here are 8 helpful tips for avoiding waste.

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As I mentioned on Wednesday, Sodexo is making reducing food waste a priority. Here’s the official press release. And it’s part of this larger initiative.