Squash left to rot in the field. Florida City, Fla. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images via Politico
A wedge of purple cabbage is rediscovered at the bottom of the crisper drawer, wilted and slimy. I feel guilty for having forgotten its existence as I toss it into the compost bucket. What a luxurious problem to have – food going to waste. During an already stressful and scary time, the coronavirus pandemic is revealing both weaknesses and potential strengths in our food system, particularly in terms of food insecurity and waste. In a recent article published by the Food & Environment Reporting Network, author Elizabeth Royte discusses a shift in U.S. food waste patterns and rising food insecurity. More people are relying on food banks during this economic crisis, but grocery stores and food producers are selling what would have historically been surplus donated to food banks. School closures and reduced restaurant operations mean broken channels for farmers and falling prices for things like milk and asparagus, resulting in product dumping and produce left to rot in fields.
Is worrying about food waste trivial given everything else going on right now? Perhaps this is an opportunity to strengthen food networks and food justice. We can’t ignore so much wasted bounty at a time when the number of those in need is rising daily. It’s a time to demand higher working and living conditions for those who grow our food. Might we grow from these challenging times and advocate towards living wages and a future of food security? As market channels are disrupted and the future of food supplies are vulnerable, we must find ways of strengthening localized food networks to increase system resilience
There are on-the-ground and top-down efforts underway. Grassroots organizations across the country are working to connect surplus with need. The recent stimulus bill included aid for the USDA to purchase and deliver food to banks. This is not a drill. This is an opportunity for identifying system breakdowns and rebuilding a stronger, healthier food future.
Sources
Purdy, Chase. “Asparagus Prices Show How the Coronavirus Is Nipping at the Global Food System.” Quartz, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2020, qz.com/1836376/falling-asparagus-prices-show-coronavirus-impact-on-global-food-system/.
Royte, Elizabeth. “Food Waste–and Food Insecurity–Rising amid Coronavirus Panic.” Food and Environment Reporting Network, Food and Environment Reporting Network, 31 Mar. 2020, thefern.org/2020/03/food-waste-and-food-insecurity-rising-amid-coronavirus-panic/.
Yaffe-bellany, David, and Michael Corkery. “Dumped Milk, Smashed Eggs, Plowed Vegetables: Food Waste of the Pandemic.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/business/coronavirus-destroying-food.html.
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Using Systems Thinking to Examine Food Waste and Food Insecurity
I have always paid close attention to my shopping habits, meticulously planning meals and shopping accordingly. However, this level of thought and attention is born of a mindset of convenience, not necessity. Though conscious of food waste, it was never something I agonized over. As Therese points out in her blog post not having to think about food waste is a luxurious problem to have indeed. In a National Geographic article, Rachel Jackson points out that 40 percent of annual US food waste comes from households. But how should we be thinking about food waste? Is it just a natural biproduct of our for-profit food system? Does my wastefulness play a role in global food insecurity? These are tough questions to answer, but by using a systems thinking approach we can gain a better understanding of how these things are related or if these are even the right questions to ask.
The global food system is a complex web of interdependent and interconnected processes and infrastructure involved in feeding the world population. Getting our arms around such a complex web of interactions can be daunting. Using techniques like systems thinking and systems mapping; as demonstrated by Monica Price Cohen in her food systems map, we can gain a better understanding of how food waste and food insecurity are related. It can also help us address larger problems in the global food network, like who are the winners and losers? How do we fix vulnerabilities in a time of crisis? Have we become too disconnected from what we eat? Obviously answering these questions goes beyond the scope of this blog post. But developing the ability to correctly analyze the problems and ask the right questions is an important step in solving them.
As we huddle in our homes during the pandemic, it is important to think about how we can design a food system that is better able to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable people, especially during a crisis. Though we can never build a perfect system, using systems thinking can help us build a better one.