From Farm to Fridge to Garbage Can
By: Tara Parker-Pope
Post by: Matt Bernanke
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/from-farm-to-fridge-to-garbage-can/?src=mv&ref=health
How much of the food your family buys do you think you waste? A study in Tompkins County, N.Y. showed that 40% of food waste occurs at home. Another study showed that 93% of those interviewed buy foods they never use. Author Johnathon Bloom says that we have a big role to play and we can have a huge impact if we reduce our wastefulness. Bloom tells us that wasting food is very cost inefficient and that a family of four that spends $175 on groceries a week wastes about $40 worth of food every week. He also tells us that if we let food rot in our fridges, then we are more likely to turn to unhealthy meals such as fast food.
My mom is always bugging us not to waste our food and to eat everything on our plates. This may have seemed tedious before, but now I know that it is necessary for me not to waste. On one hand, it will save my family a lot of money. On the other hand, it will keep me from eating fast food. Fast food may be a nice treat once in a while, but if you have a fridge full of rotting vegetables you are more likely to go get a cheeseburger than to make yourself a nice, healthy salad.
1) Have you vere had an experience where you had to deal with rotten food?
2) Why do you think that most people turn to fast food when they are confronted with rotten food in their fridge?
3) If people knew how much they could save by wasting less, do you think that they would change their ways?
It is interesting to know that 40% of the food waste occur at home. Its is also interesting how 93% of the people buy food and they don't use it. I know that my family needs to serve four peoples, but I never knew we waste so much on food. More than 40 dollars a week is more than 160 dollars a month and a year is more than 1,920 dollars a year. I would not want to waste all that money in the economy it is now and that money could be saved. I know I trash food like lettuce when the leaves turn a little brown too like 40% of the people. My parents also tell me to eat all the food and they always tell me not to throw out the lettuce that has brown edges. They say it is all food. It is interesting that we turn to fast food when we see rotten food. I think we should try not to throw out all those money by eating the food that can be edible.
ReplyDelete1) I had an experience where I had to deal with rotten food when I saw rotten fruits. When I saw them in the fridge rotting, I took them out to my backyard, and I threw them out in the soil where my dad would bury them. He would tell me to put them there so he could bury them for nutrients for the plants.
I actually do not find it surprising that a lot of food is wasted. What took me by surprise was how almost half occurs at home. 40% of all food is a lot. The 93% isn't too surprising to me. Not everyone intentionally wastes their food. They just think that they will eat it when they are buying it in the store. But once they get home, if they decide that they will go out and eat one night, well then there is extra food left to eat. Usually the extra food isn’t eaten, so it will rot and go to waste. This is why the 40% of wasted food happens at home.
ReplyDelete2. I think that most people turn to fast food when they see rotten food in their refrigerator is because when you see bad food in your refrigerator; do you want to eat it? No one is really tempted to eat expired food. So instead of cleaning out your refrigerator and going food shopping, you can just go to McDonalds and get a meal instead. It's faster, probably cheaper, but definitely less healthy. Most people do not care if it is healthy or not, but what is easier and faster. I think that there should be a calender or a list of times when to go to out to a restaurant so it can be more accurately guess what food to get at the super market. When the guesses are more accurate, then that not only saves food wasted, but also money wasted. It is a win-win for everyone.
I always waste food and do not finish everything on my plate everyday and now I'm more ashamed. I knew that all families would waste their food and not eat all of their groceries, but I didn't know that it was this bad. It is now making me think twice and I know that I will remember reading this article whenver I eat at home. People sometimes don't want to eat homemade foods because they want to eat something fast and something different once in a while. This goes for me too. When my mom prepares a meal for me, I have a feeling to ask for fast food from Wawa. To avoid rotten food, we should finish our groceries faster and be able to remember that there are still plenty of food in the fridge to eat.
ReplyDelete3) I don't think many people would change the way the eat because I can assume that people already know that they're wasting a lot of food. It's hard to notice that you're wasting food when you're throwing it away and realize it only after you've done it. It might take some time before people get used to think twice before wasting their food and learn to finish them even if they don't want to. I'm going to try as well to finish all my meals even though it won't be the easiest thing to do.
I can't believe how much food is wasted in our world. It is a shame how much food people waste in their lives. I try to eat all my food so it doesn't go to waste. It is also suprising how many people turn to fast food just because some of their food is rotting. They should try to find another alternative to eat, so they can stay healthy. In the future I hope people will eat more of the food they buy.
ReplyDelete1. I have had an experience when I had to deal with rotten food. There have been many times when there was rotten vegetables in our fridge. Usually when this happens we just end up throwing out the vegetables and eating something else.
Wow, I think we can all say we are not the best when it comes to wasting food. If anyone is interested in doing an at home audit of exactly how much food is wasted, see me. It could result in extra credit.
ReplyDelete