Tag Archives: food waste

Thoughts on Food Waste and Inequality

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I was reading through Sydney’s post “Tons of Hungry People and Tons of Wasted Food.” about the high amount of food waste being produced by American farms. I wanted to add to the discussion on food waste and food insecurity introduced by Sydney by discussing the inequality present in our current international food system. While America sees about 40% of the food it produces going to waste (63 million tons), there are growing concerns from the chief of the UN’s food relief agency that the world could be facing a widespread famine of “biblical proportions.” Reports indicate that 30 nations, all from the developing world, are under threat of undergoing widespread famine, with 10 of these nations already having more than 1 million people on the brink of starvation. 

Map of areas where food insecurity is a concern, darker colors indictating the severity of the threat of famine.

This inequality when it comes to access and availability of food has been discussed in Clapp’s paper “Agricultural Trade Liberalization.” Clapp notes that trade policies employed by wealthy nations such as export subsidies and pressuring developing nations to lower tariffs on goods have led to producers in these more prosperous nations receiving better access to economic markets and, therefore, profit. This has led to an adverse effect on the economic and agricultural sectors of developing nations as these developing nations lose economic tools like tariffs and export taxes to strengthen their agricultural sector. At the same time due to export subsidies employed by wealthier nations, products from these richer nations have pushed out domestic agricultural producers leading to poverty and growing threats of hunger and famine as people in these developing nations are unable to pay for food due to their source of income being taken away due to import surges. 

Sydney’s article illustrates the luxury of food production and food waste in America and richer nations, which stands in stark contrast to the fears of food insecurity in the developing world. Due to economic factors and fear of angering domestic producers, it is unlikely that richer nations will take the necessary steps to address the inequality in trade and politics between them and developing nations. Yet, could these richer nations not take steps to help alleviate the threat of famine by shipping excess production and “food waste” to these developing nations? 

Is This Hunger?

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Sitting in the last bits of daylight, eyes closed, I calmly take deep breaths. Slowly inhaling through my nose, exhaling through my mouth. I’m concentrating on the emptiness inside of me, I’ve been fasting for almost 24 hours. Is this hunger I think to myself? No, it is not, being hungry means more than just missing a meal. It’s a debilitating crisis that has more than 820 million people in its grip.

Hunger is a perilous cycle that passes from one generation to the next. Families who struggle with chronic hunger and malnutrition consistently go without the nutrients their minds and bodies need, which then prevents them from being able to perform their best at work, school, or to improve their lives.

So why are people hungry? This is a complex question, but hunger is a byproduct of food insecurity, which is defined as being “unable to consistently access or afford adequate food.” A number of factors such as poverty, climate change, price fluctuations, distribution networks, and food waste all play a role in food insecurity. There is no silver-bullet solution and each region or community needs its own tailored fix. Though many agree that closing the yield gap, using fertilizers more efficiently, raising low water productivity, and reducing food waste would all go a long way in helping to reduce food insecurity.

Suddenly my mind begins spinning, my breathing hastens. This problem seems so overwhelming, what am I a poor student suppose do about this? I slow my breathing and say to myself “you don’t have to be responsible for solving the world’s problems but taking a moment to contemplate and be mindful is at least a step in the right direction.” Contemplative practices can be helpful in metaphorically dipping your toe into complex problems. They allow you to examine your place within a living system while not overly internalizing it.

When More Food Means More Hunger

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Response to: “Feeling Hunger: an Exercise in Mindfulness (Contemplative Practice 5)” by dakotajh

The hunger knowing you have food in your pantry is starkly different than hunger knowing you may not eat for days. Hunger and the contrast of populations deciding what to eat and whether it is possible to eat was highlighted in a post by dakotajh, scratching the surface of how our act of unmindful consumption impacts individuals across the globe.

It seems like a simple idea: reduce waste, redistribute food, end hunger. But reality is more complicated than that. Even if developed countries reduced waste and brought food to the markets that need it most, more damage could be done if local producers do not survive. On one hand, the redirected waste may be too costly, and the fight against hunger will go on. On the other hand, the food we trade could be cheap and accessible, but cost the jobs of local producers who need money to buy it. This latter example displays how integral local producers are to the sustainability of hunger solutions. India learned this firsthand, as Vandana Shiva explained, when they opened their borders to trade. Peasant farming collapsed, and millions lost their source of income. What can food in a market do without money?

Agricultural workers process mangoes. Source: https://www.tripsavvy.com/mango-farms-and-festivals-india-1539678

Dakotajh mentioned that here in the US, with food readily available, hunger is a quick fix. This is almost translatable to a global scale with one addition. Evidently, when food is readily available, hunger is a quick but temporary fix. Because to feed the hungry, available food and the jobs people must have need to be sustained. The best way to do this in a largely agrarian country is to increase the number of local farms, killing two birds with one stone. More people will be employed, incomes will rise, and there will also be local food available for everyone.

In response to: Feeling Hunger: an Exercise in Mindfulness

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As I was scrolling through the contemplative practice posts from last week, I found  Dakota’s thoughts about Feeling Hunger: an Exercise in Mindfulness showcasing the complexity of hunger, very compelling. The post sheds light to individuals who lack privilege and access to food which are negatively impacted by inequalities embedded in the world’s food system. 

In comparison to Dakota’s ideas, this contemplative practice made me think about food waste. America produces enough food to support and feed its population. However, billions of pounds of food are discarded and millions of Americans struggle with hunger. Contemplating about the interdependence of one system to another and its non-linearity, I witness the relativity between food waste and hunger where the changes implied to one system affect the other. Wasting food means wasting all of the energy and the natural resources (such as water) it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. Once food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane – a greenhouse gas that is far more potent than carbon dioxide. 

Source: stopfoodwasteday.com

Source: stopfoodwasteday.com

Going back to Dakota’s point of view, I see the connection between the inequitable distribution of food, food waste, and hunger. Individuals along with manufacturers, distributors, retailers, etc, who have the privilege to effortlessly access food often waste food, not considering the fact that millions of people are dying of hunger. Dakota quoted, “I think that food-secure people may not (or, at least, I did not) conceptualize hunger in the same way that the underprivileged do.” I am one of those food-secure people who take access to food for granted and unquestionably discard food, which makes me a contributor to this problem. The interdependence of these topics are apparent and indisputably woven together which assists my understanding of the way systems thinking work and how each factor affects one another.

What do we do to resolve America’s problem with hunger and food waste? Many grassroots organizations such as Feeding America are utilizing their connections (manufacturers, distributors, retailers, food service companies and farmers) and collecting surplus food, and provide it to those who are hungry and do not have proper access to food. Another course of action to combat hunger through food waste is to promote Freeganism. An ideology that was introduced to me by Tristram Stuart, in which is an exhibition of the injustice of food waste by utilizing minimal consumption of resources. They target disposed food that are often gathered from grocery stores and restaurants dumpster.

The longevity of these provisional solutions may be uncertain, but what’s important is that we’re dedicating these surplus food for mouths, rather than landfills. It starts with us. One small contribution could lead to huge impacts that could lead to a major and positive shifts in the system. Let us work together to combat food system problems one step at a time.

For more information about Feeding America, click this link. 

 

In Response to “We Are Told Not to Cry Over Spilled Milk” by Carbam

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By focusing on dumped milk, you showed concern in your blog about the food waste before and amid the COVID-19 pandemic. I agree with you that as the coronavirus spread rapidly across the world, it is disrupting our supply chains and making farmers grappling with low prices and an abrupt drop in demand. Because of the lockdown, restaurants and grocery stores are shutting down and farmers are forced to destroy their crops, throw out perishable items, and dump excess milk. According to estimates from the largest dairy cooperative in the US, dairy farmers are dumping out approximately 3.7 million gallons of milk per day due to the pandemic.

Florida dairy farmers dump excess milk amid coronavirus

With restaurants and schools closed because of the stay-at-home order, it is inevitable that we will experience a hard time managing soaring food waste. One way to alleviate this problem, from my perspective, is to donate the excess food to food aid programs such as SNAP. Also, the government should allocate compensation fairly to farmers to help them go through this hard time. As we’ve discussed in class, inequalities in the food system over time are magnified and are especially obvious during this pandemic. While coronavirus is devastating agriculture, the most vulnerable and impacted groups are low-income families and undocumented workers. As they rely more heavily on SNAP and other food aid during the pandemic, donating excess food can not only ensure enough food supply for SNAP but also abate food waste pressures.

Like a Tree

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Before taking this course, the idea of a structured time to practice meditation ‘in’ the classroom was not something that I had experienced before. As I learned more about the history and uses of contemplative practices, the image of a tree was common in describing its structure. This image had a profound effect on me as it illustrated and enhanced the benefit of these practices and just how multi-faceted it is. Like a tree, we are ever growing and are grounded in our core ideals and beliefs. The role of the contemplative practices allows us to further grow our tree and trim it in places or take it in a different direction – one that is built out of a changed and fuller frame of mind.

Image Source: http://www.artchangeseverything.org/2016/09/the-tree-of-contemplative-practices_3.html

The contemplative practice that has stood out the most to me is the one on feeling hunger. This practice further illuminated the privilege that I hold in my relationship with food and the ability to consume and benefit from food on my own terms. As we have learned, the current food system is made up with the goal of making money, not food. And even though we have the food necessary to feed the population of the world, this is not happening in part due to aesthetic standards and amount of food required to feed livestock. An article from the Guardian illustrates the relationship between changing our diets and the ability to be able to more greatly feed and serve the whole population of the planet. When addressing your own hunger, it is becoming pivotal to understand how you are filling it and the impact that it has on the environment and fellow inhabitants of the world. While a massive structured change is necessary, knowing your role in the food system will help change it.

Uncovering a Crumbling Food System in a Global Pandemic

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Rice paddy in Vietnam shows prominence of staple crop, one of the most desired goods in the Coronavirus pandemic. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-25/vietnam-s-rice-trade-thrown-into-turmoil-on-export-halt-muddle

In the 1970s, the US increased production of agricultural goods drastically to add to their exports. Today, Chuck Abbott’s article, “Agriculture feels impact as pandemic reshapes U.S. diet, rattles producers,” outlines the current state of domestic agriculture and the impacts of the global food system. Since the year began, not only has the country’s ability to export declined, but imports and domestic sales have been affected as well. Families are buying chicken for easy home dinners, but beef is left on shelves with their businesses seeing food waste and closure; rice prices skyrocket because Vietnam plans on shutting down exports. What this illustrates is how fragile the US and global food system has become, and how a wide-reaching pandemic can cause them to crumble.

Widespread cornfield monocrop. https://www.agweb.com/article/proven-nitrogen-source-no-matter-weather

rom an economic perspective, the way food is produced around the world is efficient and makes the most people happy with the least sacrificed. The theory says that you take your most efficient products and make more and more and more. Production goes up, price goes down, consumption goes up, making production increase again. This cycle engenders specialization, bringing everyone the best goods at the best prices as countries trade.

But if consumer taste or world trade changes at the drop of the dime as it has with the current pandemic, will our current food infrastructure of monocrops and extreme meat production collapse? The surplus of domestically produced meat and the scramble for imported goods like grains are telling. As with the web of biodiversity in times of change, the most overly specialized will fail first. These past few months have only revealed how crippled the world has left its built food system. It no longer resembles a resilient web whose manifold connections sustain it for infinity, but a linear chain riddled with disintegrating links.

Tons of Hungry People and Tons of Wasted Food

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It is the age of a global pandemic and for many Americans, it is a time of heightened economic vulnerability. The services of food banks are in increasing demand from both old and new customers as food insecurity explodes as unemployment skyrockets amid the COVID-19 crisis. At the same time, experts predict that we will be seeing a stark increase in our already high levels of food waste. In a good year, America would see 40 percent of its food wasted – 63 million tons. 

Source: Getty Images

This is not a good year. This is a year of panic buying and closed down markets and cafeterias, meaning that we can expect to see more than 40 percent of our food go to waste. The interconnected problems of food insecurity and food waste are certainly not new, but with the rise of COVID-19 they have gained higher visibility and have more far reaching impacts than ever before. 

Food waste management stretches from farm to table. With farmers leaving up to half of their crops unharvested due to cosmetic imperfections and American households representing the largest source of food wasted, food and money are lost at every step of the food system. While it may be tempting to think that our individual choices about how we consume don’t matter within the larger food system, it is this type of thinking that yields high volumes of food rotting in refrigerators and leaves misshapen foods in grocery stores to go to waste.

By changing our individual behaviors, we can dramatically decrease the waste we contribute and thereby improve the food system. And instead of allowing imperfect foods to go to waste on farms, we should be supporting infrastructure that enables these foods to be transported to food banks. If we make change now, we will save lives.

 

Wasted Bounty: A Tale of Food All Grown Up and Nowhere To Go

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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.

Food Waste amid Covid-19 Pandemic

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The new coronavirus has posted a variety of problems on our food system and ecology. One thing I concern the most is the increasing food waste these days.

Due to the newly carried-out policy that requires people to stay at home except for necessary activities, they are moving from eating out to cook more at home. Also, restaurants and shops are shutting down in response to the spread of the coronavirus. These shifts lead to less market demand for food resources. It’s reported that farm growers leave almost half of the crops in the field and are facing exacerbating supply bulge because the demand for their products decreases abruptly.

Thinking about the deep interdependence in our systems and its nonlinearity, we can see the non-predictable effects of the change of one factor on another. The shift in eating patterns drastically decreases the demand for farm products which increases farm waste as well as household food waste. As people turn to take-out and delivery, we also witness an increase in waste through packaging.  But despite these adverse impacts of the Covid-19 and the “stay-at-home” policy, it also significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Because of the travel ban and disallowed unnecessary going-out, the use of private cars, public transportation, and even planes has been greatly limited, resulting in a temporary environmentally friendly lifestyle.

From my perspective, to minimize the negative impacts of coronavirus, firstly government and relevant agencies should find a way to manage the food surplus and food waste. It can be donations to poor and food-insecure regions. Also, individuals should not buy an excessive amount of food and ask for paper bags instead of plastic bags for take-out and delivery.