E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Bay Ismoyo / AFP - Getty Images
Indonesians buy staple foods as vendors mind their stalls at a traditional street market in Jakarta on Jan. 3.
As much as half of the food produced worldwide ends up being thrown away every year because shoppers are too choosy about the appearance of fruit and vegetables, a report said Thursday.
The world produces about four billion metric tonnes of food a year but up 2 billion tonnes is never eaten, the global study by the London-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers said.
The organisation lays the blame at every step of the food chain, from farming practices to consumers.
It says retailers reject millions of tonnes of crops because of the physical appearance of fruit and vegetables, fearing shoppers will not buy them unless they look perfect.
Related: U2's Bono talks curbing hunger with NBC's Andrea Mitchell
The institution is also calling for a change in farming practices and also a change in how we all think and value the food we buy.
"With current practices wasting up to 50 percent of all food produced, engineers need to act now and promote sustainable ways to reduce waste from the farm to the supermarket and to the consumer," the report said.
Food consumption is becoming an important global issue. By the end of the century the world could have an extra 3 billion people to feed, according to the United Nations.
Leave a Comment:
Can't they give that food that doesn't appear desirable to the needy?
"By the end of the century the world could have an extra 3 billion people to feed, according to the United Nations. "
That would require a HUGE drop in the birth rate. We added the last 1 billion people in only about 12 years.
Notfiveo "Can't they give that food that doesn't appear desirable to the needy?"
Good point. Instead of giving the 'needy' food stamps to buy top quality food, have 'food banks' give them the 'unattractive' food with the same nutritional value.
I have two words for this elistist organization and anyone else that wants us to eat lower quality foods:
F*CK YOU!
You're an a-----e.
There's nothing in the article that says this "elitist' organization wants you eat lower quality food. The fact that buyers for Whole Foods might reject it for appearance sake has nothing to do with its nutritional value.
Bacteria and fungi have to eat too!
Notfiveo:Can't they give that food that doesn't appear desirable to the needy?
Not in Manhattan. Mayor Bloomberg won't allow restaurants to donate food if it doesn't meet his requirements. In fact people are encouraged not to give food to the needy. I think the problem was the salt content. I'm not kidding.
The needy probably would not eat it either, Some of the farmers just grow the food in bad conditions this why we get the ecoli and all the other BS dirty areas with trash and feces some people grow the food in. We did not have any problems when we let our farmers in The United States grow our food!!!!
lots of rejected food probably does have less nutritional value...if only because you have to cut off the bruised, bug infested, or rotted parts so you are left with less from the same piece of say fruit.
I buy "seconds" for apples in the fall. Not to eat out of hand but to make apple sauce and bake with. A lot of the apple is gone after I cut out any worm holes and brown spots/bruises. So with the apple seconds I buy you really can't eat them out of hand easily..you need a knife and would throw away 1/3rd of the apple also
Of course. And that would make sense and the humanitarian thing to do. However, it is not profitable to give away food. That's the bottom line. Not worth the effort.
food doesnt last forever, and if it was genetically modified to last longer the liberals would cry foul but still whine about food not going to the needy.
and a lot of the world's poor don't have anything to offer the united states, so hillary and barry will go around and say women need equal this and hungry kids need more of that and still have no intention of doing anything, but a civil war in syria might ruin something probably related to oil.
the thankless work of helping people who in return will do nothing for you usually falls to christian organizations.
but corn has been genetically modified for what 20 years...or so.....So what are you talking about????...Organic offerings have their own market place at a premium price (with dubious added nutritional value)...I really do not understand what you are speaking of Jenny Wernerr.
i said genetically modified to last longer, you imbecile. learn how to read. cretin.
Jenny Wernerr: Blah, blah, blah. Do you ever have anything nice to say? Doubt it, from reading your previous posts on other articles. I'm glad Newsvine gives the option to "ignore this author", which I will do right now.
Site monitor: This poster is consistently rude and obnoxious, and violates Rule #1 of this forum. Please delete.
I bet the morale in any room you walk into drops instantly.
Hunger and waste has been around since our species has existed, but you go girl for turning it into an attack on Obama and Liberals.
Just for the record though, most of the vegetables you buy in the store have been "modified" for decades.
You are now free to go back to your ignorant bliss and I will be doing the same as mozzie.
just another guy who needs to get hooked on phonics. sad state the education system is in this country.
I've thought for a long time that instead of food stamps, they should only give out beans and rice. Wholesale dry beans by the ton are about 3 cents a pound, and rice is close in price. Somehow the welfare food stamp people need like $300.00 every two weeks to eat ? Give them nothing but beans and rice. Give them 5 lbs a day, it's still cheaper. Nobody should feel guilty or feel like they have been not given enough.
If people want to eat for free, give them nothing but beans and rice; all that they want.
NYMike: oh, c'mon, surely if there's any problem anywhere, it's all Obama's fault! After all, problems NEVER existed in the world before he got in to office, now, did they? :-P
On the wasted-food issue, I live and work in Hollywood, and you would not believe the amount of food that goes to waste here. I worked on a big-name film where an outdoor market was set up for a few days of shooting. Almost all of the stalls had real food in them, and the crew was begging the three hundred or so extras to take everything at the end of the day rather than have it all thrown out (green beans, ears of corn, watermelon, etc.). Regularly, I see catering companies toss almost-full trays of fruit and hot food after breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Why the waste? LIABILITY. If they give the food away and someone gets sick shortly after (maybe off the food, maybe just by coincidence), that still makes the catering company, the production company and even the parent company liable (i.e. General Electric, which runs NBC, could potentially be sued). As great as it would be to give some of this food away to the homeless in L.A., we are in a litigious society and that good deed can easily turn into a nightmare. One free meal intended to help someone out could mean months of courtroom time and several thousands of dollars in penalties.
There are occasional charities that come and pick up food from sets, but not nearly enough of them, and then they can only take the trays that were never out on the buffet line. Also, it's not regular practice for catering companies to be in touch with charities that will pick up food, so into the trash it goes--for the efficiency of their operation more than anything, as they have a lot to clean up in addition to preparing the next meal for the crews.
Rocky Rhode: The maximum anyone can get is $200/month for one person (see here).
I applied for food stamps in 2010 and was "granted" $22 a month--yes, that's right, $22 and not $200--at which point I cancelled out of the program without taking a dime. I submitted to letting myself get fingerprinted, photographed, handing over all my income information to the state and standing in lines for hours because I needed help, but $22 a month plus a required 22-hour work shift for the county (read: $1/hour in trade for my food) wasn't worth it. Their mandatory work schedule clashed with my temp work schedule at the time (I had a $17/hour temp job on the day they required me to work for the county picking up trash). Here's my little adventure into food stamp land, hopefully never to be tackled again.
Hey, Duncan! How about some proofreading or editing, Einstein?
If you are referring to the word 'tonnes', that is the metric equivalent of 'tons'. How 'bout doing your homework, now, instead of just showing your ignorance over the internet, kiddo?
After watching an experiment on the Food Network that brought this to light, I was appalled. So..... I got w/ my church and we starting a gleaning program where we receive "garbage" food from the stores. Fruits, veggies, day old breads, cakes etc...
We take this food and feed local kids, youth and families. It's been an amazing experience. It's pathetic that there is even a hunger epidemic in this country knowing what our stores, our society, claims is "in-edible"...
I noticed that our local grocery chain was throwing away perfectly good bananas (highly perishable). I knew the monkeys at the zoo would love to have them. I asked about it, and they said they throw produce away because some unscrupulous people will try to return them to the store for a refund.
When we start looking at food as a asset we will change. I imagine the waste in western civilization is extreme. We don't try and save anything anymore. My great grandmother and grandmother were very good at saving. We made fun of them when I was a child, but I bet their carbon footprint was better then most "green tree huggers" that preach environmental lifestyle change today.
So build a gargantuan compost pile the word needs fertilizer..
OH wait I have one more Sugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar.........!!!
Mozzie,
Scales was referring to the missing 'to' between 'up' and '2'.
I don't think so, and I don't know how you could know that. But the missing 'to' is very minor, compared to some mistakes they've made.
Jenny Wernerr, what's with all the personal attacks? Please mind rule # 1 of the Code of Honor.
You are suspended for a day.
Jenny Wernerr
But I thought I understood your point....That libs would cry because it is genetically modified?....So what you are saying is that I didn't understand what you meant and what you really meant was that Libs would only cry if they genetically modified it to last longer?? But they could modify it in other ways and libs would be fine???(no crying)....You are coming off as kind of stupid you know....
They need more discout stores in the world, with super low prices for food that looks so so. I kno I love low prices, no matter what it is.
That would explain China's success in getting Americans to buy their cheap crap.
People ask why this food isn't given to the needy. Well, I used to be a social worker in the inner city of Chicago and would distribute food baskets. If you want to meet a bunch of picky eaters, go meet some of the clients I had who were totally dependent on the government from their housing to their food!!! These women wanted the best of everything. Though I don't fault those who want the best, I find it interesting that these women made such demands on someone else's dime. I find it interesting that those who can do better, often don't as far as sacrificing and saving, while those who don't have their own pot to *iss in and their own window to throw it out of are the most demanding!!!!
Processing and packaging. In essence, hiding the looks.
This article just breaks my heart,people are dying of hunger and we throw food away,so much waste,what a shame.
And still. they can't curb hunger amongst the world. It has been said there would be food shortages. There are
many troubles we have in this world.
A good start would be banning grocery sales requiring multiple purchases. I need one, not 2 or 4. Food goes off. It has become about selling selling selling and volume, and then profits, and nothing else. Addressing the multiple purchase issue would be a good start as there are more and more singles living alone in the western world as well as in the US. Example is one for $1.98 or 2 for $2.49 for anyone who does not pay attention....
Another screwy idea. It is the consumer's right and responsibility to decide how much they need to buy. We don't need another instance of some idiot bureaucrat in Washington trying to tell us what we need. So now you are going to authorize the government to tell Grandma that she is trying to buy too much for Thanksgiving dinner when the whole family is coming over.
I would say banning might go too far but maybe have incentives to have some of most things packaged in small portions or single items. If we packaged everything individually landfills would quickly fill up with all the trash...very bad for environment.
That said I'm single and I struggle with vegetables going bad. Fortunately I have figured out ways to prevent that...bought these special reusable frig bags for vegetables that extend their life. Have learned which vegetables last for a month or more in frig (cabbage, turnips, carrots...) and how to store them.
I do wish I could buy in bulk more bcause it is so much cheaper. But I find I'm able to avoid wasting usuall...it does require effort however
BAN HIGH CAPACITY SHOPPING CARTS! Comment collapsed by the Communists in 3...2...1....
ArghONaught
You're joking right? Why not just ban the stores from thorwing it away? That makes about as much sense.
Aside from that what is your point? The store offers discounts to encourage people to buy it before it goes bad. Once the consumer has it it's their job to use it.
I think the bigger problem is this insane message that we need to constantly be consuming stuff and food and the emphasis on perfection. We are a wealthy society when compared to the majority of the world. Even our very poor enjoy a better standard of living than the poor in other societies. That attitude translates into - I don't want this banana because it's a little overripe or I didn't want to eat mushrooms so I just left them in the refrigerator. Stores recognize this mentatilty and work to minimize costs by not buying "imperfect" food. Unfortunately, we don't have a mechanism in place to shunt that "imperfect" food into productive channels such as food pantries or even local restaurants or businesses that can convert "imperfect" food into marketable items such as applesauce, banana nut muffins, etc.
In addition - because states have a lot of regulations about food that is offered to the public, but the regulations create the unintended consequence of allowing instances where good food goes to the garbage bin instead of being put to good use.
I agree with Chirs150 and Notfiveo.
Fruit that doesn't look perfect is great for smoothies. They're probably good for juices. I wonder just how "bad" the fruit looks? When I was on a super tight budget back in the mid-80's, the supermarket used to sell the bananas with little brown spots for 10 cents per pound and those were the only ones I bought because that's when they taste the best and I ate about two bananas daily as I ran and cycled alot.
I buy the ripest bananas I can find, then let them sit a little longer at home. To the point that when you go to peel them, the top pulls right off.
Not to mention, the slightly over ripe ones are great for banana bread.
Not only that, you can puree and freeze them. Try a touch of lemon juice when you puree them to keep them from turning dark. Used to make a "special drink" for my kids.....2 raw eggs, some banana puree, some Nestle Quick powder and a splash of coconut flavoring. They loved it and it was nutritious! I also use the frozen banana puree to make cranberry-raspberry jam. Or freeze it in small batches and add it to oatmeal, of which I do with pumpkin puree.
It's cause the @!$%# goes bad too quick!!!! Argh I HATE that!
So much for the argument that we need GMOs to supply the world with enough food... we have plenty now.
Seriously? We have plenty in some places and not enough in others. Surely you don't think the starving peoples of the world are throwing away bruised fruit?
I love the idea food could be sent to food pantries. There are some stores that do send their food to such places. I know of local small businesses which send their unsold baked breads and such to them. I do know the major stores donate. But unfortunately as the article does point out, much gets thrown out. It is obvious, as fresh food sits unsold, it tends to get worse and go bad, by the time it gets pulled, often too late to be of any good for helping others in need.
People also waste food when they buy excess trying to get better deals, but it goes to waste before they can use it. Estimates are half of what people buy gets wasted, a huge amount. Stores are beginning to try to address this. In some cases giving coupons to buy the buy one, get one free type of other items, which can spoil, at a later date.So food doesn't go to waste before it gets used. Larger food chains are just now trying to address this.
While communities are trying to encourage local growers, who can sell their produce at lower costs, with fresher, healthier items, increasing the health economically while also helping people eat better, in reducing artificial ingredients normally found in items needing long distance shipping, storage and mass production.
There are many misconceptions that keep getting spread, no matter how many times facts scientists and experts keep trying to get the truth out to the public.Often, only personal experiences repeated will only change a person's paradigm. It can be so frustrating trying to teach the public when people refuse to let go of cherished pet beliefs that fit an agenda that they choose to hold onto.
For instance, this idea that the world just can't sustain the human population and people will starve to death because of vast food shortages. Because they see images of starving children, promoted by those who are looking for profits to make, as well as those who truly desire to help those less fortunate. It is misery that sells, not positive stories.So, the western world gets those negative images constantly, contributing to the false idea there just isn't enough to go around in the world.
In addition, there is the matter of how governments cause suffering, by taking away land and then through poor management, for their citizens to pay high taxes and costs to pay for the very foods that could have been grown for far less. With the poor suffering from the inept and greedy officials who gorge themselves on the labors of their people, and assets,resources of the land. Exporting goods and those things which could help sustain their people.
Then there are the wars, and resources sent in to help those suffering, are stolen, and exchanged for weapons, instead of being given to the needy for which they were meant to begin with. While disease, famine and lack of funds to impliment modern technologies for improving the land for production hampers those poorer countries from producing enough for their people to get out of the cycles of drought and less fertile areas.
It is not a matter of the earth not being able to sustain people.It is clearly a matter of poor management, greed, war and lack of sharing what is available. People will still cling to the idea there are too many people on earth as well. Yet, every man woman and child on earth,if given a home, could fit inside the state of Texas. Leaving the rest of the planet empty. Just check out the math. It isn't hard to do. But some people will STILL refuse to believe it, because it fits their agenda of wanting to see mankind reduced.
There is even a voluntary extinction human movement, desiring the death of our species so our planet can be restored to health. Regardless of the facts, the planet is NOT overrun with people, nor are we running out of food.Facts will never be enough to convince these folks.
It seems like it is so much more exciting believing we are on the edge of the cliff of doom, if we don't initiate immediate action now and stop breeding. Guess some folks just need a cause to feel better and this is one that sounds good, without really doing anything. Like going out and actually cleaning a park, roadside or feeding the poor in a soup line.Which I can truthfully say, is very rewarding.
too long for many people to read
too bad becasue you made a big effort
it was long but worth reading
That is very sobering. We all need to do better.
There is no way they can determin how much food is being wasted in the homes.
Does anyone want the rest of my sandwich ? Otherwise, I' ll have to throw it out.
I would think that in the first stages of the distribution process they could take the bruised fruit and vegetables and feed it to pigs. It might bring down the cost of bacon.
Good idea - it can be part of an system called permaculture. Great commercial example close by raises veggies/cattle/hogs/chickens and produces meat/milk/cheese/butter. Whey and excess veggies go to the hogs, manure fertilizes, etc.
Not a new system. Granddad did the same thing as a subsistence farmer.
Hey, I was just trying to be insensitive. You don't have to take me seriously. Maybe I need trolling lessons.
Its time to abolish marketing boards, whos sole purpose is to keep prices high. It is from this, that farmers are paid not to grow crops, because a surplus lowers prices. This is where dairy farmers are paid to dump truck loads of Milk, for the same reason, to keep prices high. They call it "keeping prices stable". But its really about maximizing profits. It should also be illegal for food distribution outlets to dump food in the garbage, rather than give it to food banks before it goes bad. Food and housing should be non-profit, and considered a human right.
While I would agree that food and housing are a human right. Non-profit? Should that mean that everyone is entitled to a house and only have to pay what it cost to build it? What about the builder? Is he not allowed to make a profit after he figures wages and materials to build it? What happens when they try to sell it 20yrs later? If there's no profit allowed then they can only sell it for what they paid for it, plus any improvements?
Non-profit food? I want to hear how that would work.
I do agree that distirbution outlets shouldn't dump food. My local grocer gives foods passed expiration dates that they don't sell to the local food banks. Most foods especially canned/boxed are still good even after the sell by date.
MoreJustice, food and housing are a responsibility, not a right. If people can't afford children they shouldn't have them. Period. Over population is going to cause food shortages, not the growing, storing and shipping of foods. I firmly believe in helping the needy but we cannot as a society be expected to feed, house and clothe every person. It's simply not possible.
MJ: I agree with abolishing marketing boards, but little else in your post, sorry - LOL.
I don't think it needs to be "illegal" - companies can and should promote the fact that they donate food and you can "vote" for that store with your paycheck.
Having said that, I don't think any (or at least most) of us want to live somewhere surrounded by homeless, starving poor. That's why we have a "safety net".
Sadly, when you start giving away free food to the "needy", a large % of the population will become "needy". Of course I am in favor of helping people who are truly in need but our government and the bleeding heart crowd buy into any suggestion that a person is truly in need.
You haven't missed a meal lately, have you? Don't worry, it won't happen. The logistics of moving "donated" food are complicated and very expensive. It's a waste, for sure but who pays for the pickers and truck drivers and fuel and processing and storage and distribution? Nobody, I'm sad to say. I know, I'm a fruit grower.
I work at the restaurant and I am pretty sure that we trow out as much food as we serve on the top of that even the good food we have we dump at the end of the night just for the business principles so there is not one making deliberate mistakes or cook something for another employee ; there is enough food to go around and should be much cheaper if we know how to manage it properly; we do not need to grow GMOs just for the sake of feeding the world of hungry what is a lie Monsanto and friends like to believe us to that; besides gmos are not proved healthy rather other wise
Must-see documentary about GMO ~~ Part 01 of 10
" www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKABsyX6SM8&list=UU_s1H-LEXUxPuX1Qt17WBQQ&index=10"
I actually think most of this rejected produce is used to feed animals, but since they can't prove just how much they still count it as being thrown away (which is really wrong). But actually a great deal of food is thrown away due to breakdowns of refrigeration equipment or loss of power. They really need to make it a law that all refrigerators and freezers sold in the U.S. must have temperature alarms built into them with their own backup battery power supply. - Rick Carter
Have you ever had to watch the Salvation Army or the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief kitchens throw away tons (or tonnes) of food because they could not prove storage conditions prior to delivery to the kitchen? It happens all the time when thousands are standing in line waiting for their next meal in a disaster area. Too much government regulation has spoiled us all beyond belief.
BTW, the "discard by" date is the date when sellers are required to pull product from the shelves, not when the product is "unusable."
same with how girls look, you want the food that looks like what you see on TV, in the advertisement of that supermarket flyer, in that cooking show, etc.
a banana with a hint of dark spot, boo.... a tomato with a slight ding, boo.... let's not get you started with a bent cucumber eh.....
best is to sort them misshaped produce out to food processing factories where they'd be chopped up for frozen goods or go into paste or canned soup where the original shapes no longer have bearing to taste.
of course you cannot expect to sell an apple with a hole in it, even if everything around that hole is perfectly edible, but as an apple sauce or apple pie, who can tell.
then there are those foodie who advocate eating a spoon or two and throw the rest away so they can eat more kinds of food but maintain their figure. they are the true abomination more than anything else.
actually, when you go to most of the places where they feed the homeless, you'll see the worst of them ever. because they dont have to pay for the food, they take as much as they can pile up, eat only what they deem good at the time and everything else on their plate go to the trash... then they go back to the street corners or traffic light panhandling again for the rest of the day.... until next meal time.
try do some of those volunteer work once in a while if you would, it'll make you sick what you see there.
Once a month all communities in the U.S. need to do a food collection in place of trash collection, just for canned food and dry food stuffs which people don't want. (Most commercial frozen foods have already been carefully selected before they were frozen, and most fresh produce at local grocery stores have already been carefully selected as well, if only by the customers buying them.) - RC
I only buy what I eat for a week, otherwise I'd be wasting my food....
I don't. I like to keep my cold pantry deep and full. I love to buy in bulk and on sales, I rotate my stock. I'm prepared for an emergency. And, I like doing that with other products, such as soap products etc.
I don't get people who don't...
You can't just simply give this away to the "needy" because the needy will then multiply as those that pay for the same thing find ways to become "needy". It's basic economics. Find a way to better filter the more desireable and less-desireable foods and distribute accordingly.
We all see food waste and are all guilty of it. Why not simply sell two choices of produce, perfect and blemished priced accordingly. The processed food obviously hides imperfections. Don't take the expiration dates literally, use your better judgement.
Oh sure; then everyone would be messing with the good fruit and veggies to get the blemished price... as for expiration dates, they are there for a reason, and sound judgment dictates to take them literally.
Or take the "blemished" food and relabel it as "organic" - then increase the price instead!
I used to buy, and occassionally still do, dented cans that are marked down. As for blemished fruits and veggies I personally don't have a problem with them but the trial lawyers will be lining up to file lawsuits here in the US to sue retailers for "intentionally poisoning" people when someone gets sick from it.
I think you will find that most of this "excess" food is occuring in the U.S. The U.S. is the breadbasket for the world and we produce much more food than we consume and we sell it all over the world. I doubt families in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, the PI and others throw out any food. Also, many fresh fruit and vegetables have a limited shelf life and then must be discarded. To have any merit this study should look at each individual country and just what is being discarded.