With millions of US households struggling to have enough to eat, and millions of tons of food being tossed in the garbage, food waste is increasingly being seen as a serious environmental and economic issue.
A report released Wednesday shows that about 60 million tons of food is wasted a year in the United States, with an estimated value of $US162 billion. About 32 million tons of it end up in municipal landfills, at a cost of about $US1.5 billion a year to local governments.
The problem is not limited to the United States.
The report estimates that a third of all the food produced in the world is never consumed, and the total cost of that food waste could be as high as $US400 billion ($509 billion) a year.
Reducing food waste from 20 to 50 per cent globally could save $US120 billion to $US300 billion a year by 2030, the report found. Sydney Morning Herald – Read more…
A report released Wednesday shows that about 60 million tons of food is wasted a year in the United States, with an estimated value of $US162 billion. About 32 million tons of it end up in municipal landfills, at a cost of about $US1.5 billion a year to local governments.
The problem is not limited to the United States.
The report estimates that a third of all the food produced in the world is never consumed, and the total cost of that food waste could be as high as $US400 billion ($509 billion) a year.
Reducing food waste from 20 to 50 per cent globally could save $US120 billion to $US300 billion a year by 2030, the report found. Sydney Morning Herald – Read more…