 Graphic courtesy of Nourish Initiative, www.nourishlife.org Here at Pinnacle Prevention, much of our work revolves around local food systems in Arizona. We are all part of the food system, though most of us don’t realize it. The food system is comprised of nearly every aspect of food, including the environment in which it is grown, production, demand, processing, transport, and where it is consumed and disposed. Each and every component is complex in its own right. Our mission is to encourage and build healthy, sustainable food systems in our state and communities.
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 Families in America throw away about 25 percent of the food they buy, often because of expiration dates on food packaging. For an average family of four, this waste is between $1,365 and $2,275 of lost grocery money every year.
Many of us rely on these labels to tell us when it’s time to toss our food, but these labels are actually leading to a huge amount of perfectly edible food being wasted every year.  Let’s face it: family mealtimes can be a battle.
Everyone knows how important it is to eat our fair share of greens — everyone, that is, except your child who is scrunching her nose at that side of asparagus, hoping her determined distaste can make it disappear into thin air. It’s easy to get frustrated when you’re having a hard time convincing your children to dig in to their healthy and not-quite-favorable helpings. By making the following practices part of your dinnertime routines, you can make your mealtimes — and picky eaters — happier and healthier.
Did you know that grocery stores across the country throw away thousands of pounds of perfectly edible food every year? Over 25 percent of edible produce ends up in the trash each year, often because it does not meet the beauty standards that Americans have come to expect from our fresh finds.
Fresh and perfectly edible carrots, potatoes, peppers and more are picked around and tossed out based on appearance — all while one in six Americans does not have a secure supply of food. Millions of pounds of food end up rotting in landfills, producing harmful methane emissions.
We waste billions of pounds of food in the U.S. every year. Grocery stores throw away produce that isn’t pretty enough to buy, consumers purchase more food than we can eat, and we toss out items before they are really spoiled.
Reducing our food waste by just 15 percent would save enough food to feed 25 million people every year. Stay tuned to learn more about how you can do your part to make a difference, support the Earth and feed the hungry. |
