Food Waste in America

1141 Words5 Pages
When people think about recycling, usually two things come to mind: plastics and paper. But what about food? The average American wastes half a pound each day according to Jonathan Benson, the staff writer of naturalnews.com. That’s over 182 pounds for each person every year. The staggering amount of food waste makes one wonder, “Why so much?” The fact that America is a wasteful country is almost enough in itself, but that may also lead to the question, “Why are Americans such wasteful people?” America is a very fast-paced country as well as an over- populated one. The massive increase in people raise the demand for food higher than it’s ever been, faster than it’s ever been, only to have most individuals not have enough time or room in their stomachs to finish the meal he or she cooked or bought. Americans buy more food than necessary and don’t put leftovers in the fridge because there will always be “more where that came from”. Is it just that Americans are too lazy? Or is it that we have such an abundance of food there is no need to be conservative over buying too much at the grocery store (or fast food joint) or saving that last handful of leftover pasta? What about both? Even though efforts are being made to reduce food waste in America, Americans are seemingly creating more of an environmental and economic issue by wasting more food than recycling it. As of 2012 there are over 313 million people in the United States alone (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). With a number this high, it may not be such a big shock to see how much food is being wasted in America. However, this does not mean that it is acceptable. Food waste affects us and the environment as well as how food waste is viewed as a normal lifestyle in society. So where does it start? It starts with individual households throwing away food essentials. According to the lead researcher at the University of
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