More than one-third of our nation’s available food is lost or wasted according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food waste occurs at all levels of the food supply chain, but the largest source of food waste is by people in their own homes.
According to a 2017 report by the National Resources Defense Council, Americans waste an average of 400 pounds of food per person every year. This food is discarded for being past (or close to) its due date, tossed for minor imperfections, left on our plates, or allowed to rot in our refrigerators.
An enormous amount of fossil fuels are consumed to plant, fertilize, harvest, transport, and refrigerate our uneaten food. This makes wasted food a major contributor to climate crisis. According to the NRDC report, each year more greenhouse gases are released in the production and transportation of uneaten food than are produced by 37 million cars.
What can we do? Buy and prepare only the food that we can reasonably eat before it goes bad. Share our concerns with family and friends. Contact 412foodrescue.org to see how we can help rescue perfectly good Pittsburgh food that otherwise would be discarded by stores and restaurants.