Food Waste Grows With the Middle Class

An estimated one third of the food produced in the world is uneaten, and therefore generates massive food waste. It is estimated that $400 billion a year is spent on waste disposal. As a result, uneaten food is sent to landfills, left to decompose and generate the dangerous greenhouse gas methane.

Numerous antiwaste programs are underway, from backyard composting to restaurant donations to food pantries. Reducing food waste by 20 percent to 50 percent could save an estimated $120 billion to $300 billion a year, according to the WRAP report.

This would take far more action by national and local governments, food producers and, most of all, consumers unaware of the mounting costs of their dinner scraps.

101 Hopeful Food Facts

Food Tank is highlighting stories of hope, innovation, and success in creating a better food system. From women?s land access in Chad and urban green spaces in Australia to chefs in the United Kingdom and the United States implementing local, sustainable food sourcing?there are thousands of innovations giving us hope about the future of food.

Food Tank is featuring 101 bright spots in the food system that we hope will inspire eaters, businesses, researchers, scientists, funders, donors, and policy makers to create?and support?a more sustainable food system

?EWG’s 2015 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce

Nearly two-thirds of the 3,015 produce samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2013 contained pesticide residues –despite the increase in demand for organic food. USDA?s Economic Research Service estimates that the organically produced food?sector, though just 4 percent of all U.S. food sales, has enjoyed double-digit growth in recent years.

While it is clear that a large amount of people want to reduce their exposure to pesticides in produce, many cannot find or afford an all-organic diet. The Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide helps us to seek out conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that tend to test low for pesticide residues. This guide is extremely useful when deciding which produce is the most important to buying organic. Click here to view it.