Consumer and households
Households are accountable for the most significant portion of food waste in developed countries, with an estimated 76 billion pounds of food discarded annually by US households. Around 40 to 50 percent of food waste, including 51 to 63 percent of seafood waste, occurs at the consumer level. In the United States, the average person wastes 238 pounds of food per year, which amounts to 21 percent of the food they purchase, resulting in a cost of $1,800 per year.
In terms of overall weight, fresh fruits and vegetables represent the largest losses at the consumer level, accounting for 19 percent of fruit waste and 22 percent of vegetable waste, followed by dairy (20 percent), meat (21 percent), and seafood (31 percent). Major contributors to household food waste include:
- Food Spoilage: Approximately two-thirds of food waste in households occurs because food is not consumed before it spoils. This spoilage is often caused by improper storage, lack of visibility in refrigerators, partially used ingredients, and misjudged food needs.
- Over-Preparing: The remaining third of household food waste results from individuals cooking or serving excessive amounts of food. Portion sizes have increased over time, and large meals often contain more food than can be consumed. According to research from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, serving sizes in the classic cookbook The Joy of Cooking have grown by 36 percent since 2006. Additionally, people frequently forget to consume leftovers, leading to their disposal.
- Date Label Confusion: An estimated 80 percent of Americans discard food prematurely due to confusion over date labels such as "sell by," "best if used by," and "expires by." These labels are not federally regulated and only provide guidance from manufacturers regarding peak quality. Research from the UK suggests that standardizing food date labeling and clarifying its meaning to the public could reduce household food waste by up to 20 percent.
- Overbuying: Discounts on unique products and promotions encouraging impulse and bulk purchases at retail stores often result in consumers buying items that do not align with their regular meal plans, leading to spoilage before use.
- Poor Planning: Without meal plans and shopping lists, consumers often inaccurately estimate the quantity and types of ingredients needed for the week. Unplanned restaurant meals or food delivery can also contribute to food spoilage at home.
A lot of the waste in our society comes down to choice and wanting to have the option to eat something whether or not we will use it. People tend to overbuy food because people are unforgettable with white space when it comes to food so we try to fill in the refrigerator with as much food as possible.
Interesting yet concerning facts
Taken from Earth.org
- Food waste ends up wasting a quarter of our water supply in the form of uneaten food. That’s equated to USD$172billion in wasted water.
- The food currently wasted in Europe could feed 200 million people, in Latin America 300 million people, and in Africa 300 million people.
- Taking into account all the resources used to grow food, food waste uses up to 21% of freshwater, 19% of fertilizers, 18% of cropland, and 21% of landfill volume.
- The water used to produce the food wasted could be used by 9 billion people at around 200 liters per person per day.
- If 25% of the food currently being lost or wasted globally was saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million people around the world.
- In developing countries, 40% of losses occur at the post-harvest and processing stages, while more than 40% of losses in developed countries occur at the retail and consumer levels.
- Breaking it down by food group, losses, and waste per year are roughly 30% for cereals, 40-50% for root crops and fruit and vegetables, 20% for oil seed and meat and dairy, and 35% for fish.
- Developed and developing countries waste or lose roughly the same amount of food every year, at 670 and 630 million tons respectively. Around 88 million tons of this is in the EU alone.
- Annual per capita waste by consumers is between 95-115 kilograms a year for Europeans and North Americans, while in south and southeastern Asia, it is 6-11 kgs.
Recap Video for Unit 1.2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MpfEeSem_4&t=545s&ab_channel=OurChangingClimate
Listen to this podcast: https://foodprint.org/what-youre-eating/ep-4-food-waste/
