#Foodwaste is terrible

[itsadamnbeehive]

picky eater rant lol

[cookingwithleftovers]

I did. I added rehydrated mushroom stock #leftovers to my (terrible) neighborhood Chinese spot’s moo goo gai pan #leftovers & it was a delightful warm lunch soup.. #foodwaste #vigilance http://leftovers.recipes

[dylan-and-jace-blog]

Blog Deliverable #2

Context of the Problem

About ⅓ of all food produced is estimated to be wasted, costing us billions of dollars. Why is this an issue? Because billions of people all over the world go starving each meal and don't know where they will get there next meal. It is estimated that 1 and 9 people on the earth are malnourished. In Portland it is estimated that 14.6% of the population faces food insecurity. This is a huge problem that needs to be taken into consideration. Not only is food waste an issue economically, but it is terrible for our environment as well. Destroying forested areas for farmers to grow crops that in turn may not even be eaten is a big problem.  Animals are driven out of their forests while landscapes for crops grow, causing near distinction to some species of animals. Not only is food waste bad for our ecosystems, but it is a huge problem in the waste of water as well. It is estimated that 25% of the water used for crops is used to hydrate crops that are wasted.  

History of the Problem

Utah State University created an map of centuries of food waste. In their findings they have found that food waste has been an issue for thousands of years. Up until the late 1800’s food waste was not a wise decision for most citizens in the United States. Native Americans and pioneers would use almost every part of the animal just so they could survive. They would turn the fur into clothing or bedding. They would use bones to make broth, and smoke leftover meat to make jerky. Jerky has a much longer shelf life so it allowed them to make the best use of the animal. These pioneers would also use the organs, feet, and many other parts to make stews with the bone broth. They even used the fat of the animals; However, they used the fat to make soap instead of food products. They would pickle many of their vegetables and make preserves with fruits to preserve shelf-life. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s when food waste became an issue.

When the industrial revolution that food waste was a noticeable issue. America was now able to produce everything faster than ever. The faster it was produced the cheaper it was. This made food more accessible and cheaper, so food waste followed shortly after. Food was being produced very quick and it came to a point where they had to ban leaving food garbage in the streets. Since then it has been normalized to buy in bulk and waste what you do not eat. Thanksgiving is a perfect example. It has become about making a feast that is not possible to finish. Food waste is only getting worse and is having a negative impact on our environment; Therefore, we need to change our ways to protect our environment by being a more effective consumer.

What’s Being Done?

Oregon Food Bank, Urban Gleaners, and PSU Pantry  are  organizations that are addressing the issues of food waste. What these organizations do is feed the hungry people of the Portland, Oregon. Urban Gleaners reclaimed over 1,000,000 lbs. of food last year alone. They gave this food to local undeserved communities to combat food waste and hunger. They are able to work with local grocery stores and give out food that would otherwise be thrown out. They have food donated to the organizations for the people that are without food, to cut back on food waste. They collect food from not only donations but large corporations as well. These nonprofits are intended to feed the hungry, while also cutting back on wasted food.

Organizations Websites

http://urbangleaners.org/give-food/

https://www.pdx.edu/insidepsu/free-food-on-campus

https://www.oregonfoodbank.org/

Citations

Utah State University. (2018). Food Waste: Popular Culture and Today. Retrieved from http://exhibits.usu.edu/exhibits/show/foodwaste/intro

OLIO. (2017). The Problem of Food Waste. Retrieved from https://olioex.com/food-waste/the-problem-of-food-waste/

"Hunger in Oregon." Oregon Food Bank, 2016, www.oregonfoodbank.org/our-work/hunger-in-oregon/.

[wastelesswanderess]

*FREE FOOD* - there is no catch. Just free food and less food going to landfill! If you haven't heard me going on and on about how terrible food waste is then you probably haven't spent more than an hour in my company. Food waste is absolutely awful for the planet, produces tonnes of greenhouse gas, and is almost totally avoidable. You can get free food for yourself and your community by downloading Olio (UK and Ireland at the moment) and you can help others to get free food by volunteering to collect food from shops to put on the app! A massive amount of food waste happens before we even buy food and take it home. It happens at the farm, "quality control", and supermarket levels. Weird shapes are discarded. Food that hasn't been bought quickly enough is discarded. Slightly damaged products are discarded. It's ridiculous that with so many hungry people in this world we still haven't taken any notable steps towards a systematic change in our global food processes. Instead, apps like @olio.app have started filling that gap and trying to connect people with food before it goes into landfill or industrial composters. This awesome bowl of chips was a bag of pre-cut potatoes that would have gone to a biogas facility (in theory...) But I rescued it through Olio and I'm eating them with sriracha mayo that I made from the dregs of the sriracha that I couldn't get out of the bottle. #delicious #foodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #freegan #belliesnotbins #zerofoodwaste #zerowastegoals #zerowaste #lesswaste #zerowastedublin #zerowasteireland #zerowasteirl #foodrescue (at Dublin, Ireland) https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1gnDpNN5j/?utm_medium=tumblr