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Half of All US Food Produce Is Thrown Away, New Research Suggests

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Half of All US Food Produce Is Thrown Away, New Research Suggests

The Guardian,

5 min read
5 take-aways
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What's inside?

Despite increased concern about climate change and hunger, the United States still wastes half the produce it grows.

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8

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Recommendation

As the demand on farmers for “blemish-free” crops increases, more and more healthy food in the United States goes unharvested and unsold – a circumstance which not only counters efforts to combat hunger, but also contributes to global warming. Environmental correspondent Suzanne Goldenberg examines the forces in America’s “food production chain” that drive “upstream” food waste and identifies the obstacles standing in the way of making changes to the present system. getAbstract recommends this article to policy makers and those working in the agricultural industry.

Summary

America wastes nearly half of all the fruits and vegetables it produces. But exactly who, or what, is to blame for this squander? When discussing food wastage, people tend to focus on its “downstream” component – the food that retailers and consumers throw away – but new reports show “upstream” waste is an equally pressing issue.

Upstream food waste occurs when farmers don’t harvest or are unable to sell the produce they grow. The reason this occurs, according to producers, is simple: Much of the food...

About the Author

Suzanne Goldenberg is The Guardian’s US environment correspondent. She covered the US invasion of Iraq from Baghdad and is the author of Madam President, which looks at Hillary Clinton’s 2008 US presidential bid.

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