Waste Not, Want Not (1)
Hi, Jane. I hear you were in California last week to meet with our colleagues at the Brightwell supermarket chain affiliate. Are they on track to achieve their goal of zero waste?
Yes, they are, I am happy to report. Brightwell has set an ambitious goal of eliminating food waste throughout the company by 2023. They also aim to end hunger in communities they serve by that year. That’s in line with the U.S. government goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030-a date that’s getting ever closer. And now is an especially good time to reduce waste, due to soaring grocery prices.
I was amazed when I found out that over one-third of all food purchased in the U.S. is thrown away.
Yes, this is a huge problem. It’s especially upsetting when we know that nearly one in eight Americans struggles with hunger. Studies show that the food that’s wasted could feed two billion people.
I understand some of this unwanted food is used as animal feed or for composting, but most goes underground-filling a quarter of all landfill space nationwide. Once it’s buried, it breaks down and generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. It’s more important than ever to reduce food waste to reverse the effects of climate change.
Absolutely. Two of humanity’s most pressing problems are hunger and climate change. But there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to food waste. It’s a deep societal problem that involves not only supply chains, but also household psychology and grocery stores.
I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.
