Food, Garbage, and the Environment

The cheese is a bit moldy, so let’s throw it out. The yogurt is past its expiration date, so let’s toss it. The jar of olives is far too large and takes up far too much room in the refrigerator, so let’s get rid of that too. These cans of soup are expired, so they should go as well. And the vegetables are overcooked; no one is going to eat them.

In 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, 103 million tons of food were wasted in America, which amounts to about 40% of all food produced. This  makes the United States the world’s leader in food waste. Only a portion of this is consumer waste. For example, a 2012 study by the National Resources Defense Council shows that non-consumer waste affects 16% of grain products while consumer waste affects 27%. The proportions for fruits and vegetables are 36% and 28%, and for meat 13% and 12%, respectively.

In the midst of this staggering level of waste, an estimated 42 million Americans, or about one in eight Americans, including 13 million children, are now food-insecure, according to data compiled by Feeding America. Disparities such as this, in which some are entitled to waste while others don’t have the ability to eat, are classic causes of unrest and violence; as Pope Francis points out in Laudato Si, where there is distributive injustice, violence often results.

In addition to its impact on the poor, food waste also contributes to the environmental crisis that we now face. Precious resources, particularly water and land, are used to produce food that is discarded. Much of this land and water usage is by large agribusinesses, which foster monocultures and rely on the intensive use of pesticides and herbicides. This wastes an enormous volume of resources to produce products that in turn are wasted, in the process undermining the ecological balance of the land.

But the ecological impact of waste is not confined to the waste of natural resources. Consumer waste also has a significant negative impact on the environment. Most food waste goes to landfills; in fact, food waste accounts for about a quarter of all material in landfills. As it decomposes, it emits methane into the atmosphere. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 6.7% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide come from food waste.

Each of us, however, can take steps to ensure that we eliminate food waste and that our necessary food waste (such as vegetable peels, apple cores, meat bones, etc.) don’t contribute to the degradation of our environment. This is an area in which we can have an immediate and significant impact by taking steps like the following:

• Composting all food waste. Compost does not generate greenhouse gases and produces new, fertile soil; in contrast, the land devoted to landfills is unusable for a long time period.
• Planning meals and making a shopping list before going food shopping to avoid impulse buys.
• Buying only quantities that you will realistically use over a particular time frame, such as six months or a year. Those prices at warehouse clubs may seem unbeatable, but often the quantities are unusable.
• Managing portion sizes so that you purchase and prepare only enough food that can be eaten over a specified period.
• Buying fresh, locally sourced, organic produce. Organic, locally sourced produce entails far less waste in production and is pesticide-free. Typically, local farms support biodiversity as well.
• Focusing less on the aesthetic appearance and more on the nutritional value of fruit and vegetables. Large amounts of produce are wasted because they are not aesthetically pleasing, even though they remain completely tasty and nutritious.
• Understanding the expiration dates on food products:
  • Use by indicates the date that perishable food should be consumed. It applies to perishable foods.
  • Sell by Is intended for retailers to help with inventory management. A product past its sell by date should not be discarded; in many cases, depending on packaging, the product may still be good for many years.
  • Best by provides the producer’s estimate of the latest date that the product will be at its peak flavor and texture. A product past its best by date should not be discarded; the date is subjective, and in many cases the product may be good for years after its best by date has passed.

Regardless of the date, you should always examine canned or bottled products to ensure they are still edible.

• If you are placing food (especially leftovers) in storage contains, making sure that they are clean. Glass containers are better for this purpose than plastic ones, since they are easier to clean. In particular, containers that are greasy cause bacteria to grow, which in turn causes food to spoil faster.
• If you know owners or employees of commercial kitchens (such as restaurants) who don’t’ donate their leftover food to charitable organizations, urge them to do so. While such donations are encouraged, there is a misconception that such establishments are not permitted to donate prepared food.

Many of these measures not only reduce waste, but also save money and help us live healthier lives. In addition, reducing our food waste can have a long-term impact that’s far greater than the food we don’t discard. In a supply-demand economy, the effect of our purchasing decisions and our patterns of consumption will also eventually filter upward through the chain of production, where there will also be less waste.

Our wasting food also makes an important theological statement, which we will examine in a future reflection.