Families can be key players in a revolution needed to feed the world, and could save money by helping to cut food losses now occurring from field to fork to trash bin, an expert said here today.
He described that often-invisible waste in food — 4 out of every 10 pounds produced in the United States alone — and the challenges of feeding a global population of 9 billion in a keynote talk at the 245thNational Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
“We will need another ‘Green Revolution’ to feed the world by 2050,” said John Floros, Ph.D., referring to the development of high-yield, disease-resistant breeds of grain and other agricultural innovations that took root in the 1960s. “That will mean scientific innovations, such as new strains of the big three grains — rice, wheat and corn — adapted for a changing climate and other conditions. It also will require action to reduce a terrible waste of food that gets too little attention.”
Floros cited estimates that in many developing countries up to half of the food harvested from farmers’ fields is lost before reaching consumers. He is dean of the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University. That waste can occur due to spoilage from improper storage of grain during transportation or from pests. Rats and mice alone eat or spoil 20 percent of the world’s food supply due to contamination with their urine and feces.
“A different kind of waste occurs in the United States and some other developed countries,” Floros said. “Developed countries have much more efficient systems for preserving, storing, transporting and protecting food from spoilage and pests. But as a nation — households, supermarkets, restaurants, other food-service providers — we throw away about 4 out of every 10 pounds of food produced each year.”
Government studies show, for instance, that the average family in the United States throws away 20 pounds of food a month, more than $2,000 worth every year for a family of four. It includes food that has gone uneaten and spoiled in refrigerators and on pantry shelves, as well as food that people throw away after cooking. Uneaten food actually rivals paper, plastic and other refuse as the No. 1 material in some municipal landfills.
Scientists know that food waste in landfills, for instance, releases methane gas as it decomposes. Methane is about 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas that fosters global warming. Floros pointed out that reducing food waste would contribute to solving other great global challenges that society faces in the 21st century, beyond feeding a booming population. Wasting food wastes the freshwater needed to grow it, at a time when 1.2 billion people lack access to clean water. It also wastes energy, fertilizers, pesticides and other resources used in the food supply.
Supplying more food, however, is only part of the challenge, Floros emphasized. “Millions of people in some developing countries are becoming more affluent. In the past, people were satisfied with food that filled them up and sustained life. Increasingly, they will demand food that is convenient to prepare, certified as safe and highly nutritious and tastes good.”
He cited the People’s Republic of China as an example. The middle class in China is now larger than the U.S. population and is increasing in size year by year. And people in China are now consuming almost 3 times as much meat compared to a few decades ago. Demand for convenience foods also is rising with the growth of the urban population.
Several other food-related challenges lie ahead, Floros pointed out. Water, for instance, is becoming scarcer, as is fertile farmland. Global climate change may stress those resources even further. The demand for sustainable energy may divert more cropland to production of crops for biofuel production. Economic conditions threaten less investment in agricultural research and development. Drought and other extreme weather could impact food production. And consumption of too much food and less nutritious foods underpins epidemics in obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The Latest Bing News on:
Reducing food waste
- Growing Mushrooms From Food Wasteon May 7, 2024 at 2:01 am
In Queens, an indoor farm develops high-quality mushrooms for restaurants in scraps discarded by the restaurants’ chefs.
- How Southeastern Grocers tapped tech to reduce food wasteon May 6, 2024 at 8:43 am
The grocery operator’s usage of a date expiration management system is helping with its sustainability measures.
- Measuring your food waste for six weeks can change your habits – new studyon May 6, 2024 at 5:30 am
And even a small reduction in household food waste can make a difference. Our study showed that it is relatively easy for people to cut how much fruit and vegetables they discard each week. If just ...
- InterContinental Phuket Resort deploys food waste composteron May 6, 2024 at 4:30 am
This initiative is part of the resort's commitment to setting new standards in waste management and reducing its carbon footprint. InterContinental Phuket Resort general manager B ...
- Four Ways AI Can Help Reduce Waste in Your Supply Chainon May 5, 2024 at 8:59 pm
AI is emerging as a powerful tool for businesses to reduce waste in their supply chains. It can help optimize processes, predict demand more accurately, minimize waste and improve efficiency.
- Olmsted County ready to test option for dealing with food wasteon May 3, 2024 at 10:20 am
Olmsted County plans to test whether residents are willing to take a few extra steps to eliminate food waste from the approximately 115,000 tons of trash collected each year. With 21% of waste — or ...
- How Loop Mission is Reducing Food Waste in Canadaon May 3, 2024 at 7:52 am
Loop Mission started with a phone call in 2015. David Côté was working on Rise Kombucha, a business he helped create, when he received a call from Fred Monette of Courchesne Larose, a fruit and ...
- CP Foods is making strides in minimizing food loss and waste through circular economy practices.on May 3, 2024 at 3:28 am
The company has successfully reduced food loss in its operations and repurposed food waste and by-products into valuable resources such as animal feed, fertilizer, and alternative energy. This ...
- Measuring your food waste for six weeks can change your habits, according to new studyon April 30, 2024 at 10:30 am
You've had a long day and you're tired. Faced with making dinner, you look in the fridge and decide to cook something that requires little effort. This is a common scenario, and one that many people ...
- Earth Month: Dietitian shares tips to reduce food wasteon April 28, 2024 at 2:59 am
This Earth Month, registered dietitians are sharing strategies for reducing food waste in the Capital Region, and saving money in the process.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Reducing food waste
[google_news title=”” keyword=”reducing food waste” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”] [/vc_column_text]The Latest Bing News on:
Food waste
- Superior opens six food waste drop siteson May 7, 2024 at 5:14 pm
Superior is marking International Compost Awareness Week by opening six food waste drop sites around the city.
- 2024 National Food Waste Summit speaker line-up revealedon May 7, 2024 at 5:08 pm
National Food Waste Summit is scheduled to take place in Melbourne on July 24th and 25th and the speaker line-up has been revealed.
- CP Foods minimising food waste through circular economy practiceson May 7, 2024 at 4:24 pm
Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) has continuously reduced food loss throughout its operations and repurposed food waste and by-products into valuable resources such ...
- Olmsted County food waste test program set to launchon May 7, 2024 at 11:52 am
Commissioners approve a $25 fee for voluntary six-month food recycling pilot program in effort to divert scraps from waste stream.
- Food startup Hungryroot uses AI to reduce waste, a major climate offenderon May 7, 2024 at 9:50 am
Hungryroot, a 9-year-old startup in New York, is trying to deliver precise portions to users to cut down on waste. Based on several questions answered by customers, the company can infer the best ...
- Growing Mushrooms From Food Wasteon May 7, 2024 at 2:01 am
In Queens, an indoor farm develops high-quality mushrooms for restaurants in scraps discarded by the restaurants’ chefs.
- UC boosts food security, reduces wasteon May 7, 2024 at 12:03 am
University of California Cooperative Extension in San Bernardino County provided interactive classes and demonstrations in English and Spanish for ethnically diverse and limited-resource residents ...
- Tracking Food Waste for Six Weeks Could Alter Consumption Patterns, Study Indicateson May 6, 2024 at 9:49 am
At the end of a hectic day, preparing a simple meal often trumps the need to use perishable ingredients in our kitchen, leading to potential food waste. This routine behavior is performed ...
- How Southeastern Grocers tapped tech to reduce food wasteon May 6, 2024 at 8:43 am
The grocery operator’s usage of a date expiration management system is helping with its sustainability measures.
- Measuring your food waste for six weeks can change your habits – new studyon May 6, 2024 at 5:30 am
And even a small reduction in household food waste can make a difference. Our study showed that it is relatively easy for people to cut how much fruit and vegetables they discard each week. If just ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Food waste
[google_news title=”” keyword=”food waste” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]