HOW LONG DOES YOUR MORNING SHOWER TAKE? By Ali Milburn, Hole Food Rescue According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, food production in the United States uses 10% of the total U.S. energy budget, 50% of U.S. land, and 80% of the freshwater we consume. Yet 40% of food in America is wasted [1]. Each year, Americans throw away 67 million tons of food, equivalent to $160 billion [2]. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food they never eat [3]. Food waste is the single largest component entering landfills and as food decomposes anaerobically, it generates methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2 [4]. In 2018, Hole Food Rescue prevented more than 270,000 pounds of food from being landfilled. It takes 43,461,981 gallons of water to produce this much food. That’s enough water for you to take an eight minute shower, every day, for the next 6,922 years [5]. Throwing away one pound of chicken wastes the equivalent of taking a shower for 104 minutes (370 minutes for one pound of beef). Wasting a single banana is like taking a 42 minute shower [6]. These comparisons are comical because we would never take a shower for 42 minutes. So why do we feel a smaller sense of remorse when we let the last banana get too brown to consume?
Community members at the Senior Center ‘shop’ rescued food.
Food waste is a huge problem in this country, yet few people realize that consumers are actually the largest source of wasted food – more than restaurants and grocery stores combined. Wasting food wastes the land, water, energy, labor, and love used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and distributing food...what a waste!
So what can you do? Plan your meals ahead of time so you buy just what you need, and have less perishable food on hand at your house. When the fridge is full and we can’t see all the food we have, it’s easy to forget what’s there. Storing food properly can also have a dramatic impact on the lifespan of perishable food. To learn tips on proper food storage and other ways to prevent food waste in your home, visit savethefood.com.
[1] www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf [2] www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs [3] savethefood.com/did-you-know/ [4] www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-gas [5] www.home-water-works.org/indoor-use/showers [6] savethefood.com/did-you-know/
DID YOU KNOW? Proper food storage has a dramatic effect on the lifespan of your food:
NUTS – Store shelled nuts, even if roasted, in an opaque, airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. If you must keep them in the pantry, store in a cool, dark place in an airtight container and use within a few months. ASPARAGUS – Put bundled stalks upright in a glass or blow with 1 inch of water and place on a refrigerator shelf BANANAS – Store on the counter at room temperature, away from other fruit (unless you’re trying to ripen those fruit). Once ripe, you can store them in the refrigerator. The skin may darken, but the banana will be just right for several days.
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Learn more food storage tips at savethefood.com/storage.
