France taking dramatic steps to reduce waste.
In the United States, an estimated (and astounding)
430 billion pounds of edible food goes uneaten in a year, much of it coming from our
grocery stores:
With consumers demanding large displays of unblemished, fresh produce, many retailers end up tossing a mountain of perfectly edible food. Despite efforts to cut down on all that waste, in the U.S., the consumer end of the food chain still accounts for the largest share. It comes down to shoppers demanding stocked shelves, buying too much and generally treating food as a renewable resource.
The problem isn't exclusive to the United States and other countries are trying to address the problem. This week, the French government took a key step:
France’s parliament has pledged to crack down on a national epidemic of food waste by passing a law banning supermarkets destroying unsold food, instead obliging them to give it to charities or put it to other uses such as animal feed.
The national assembly voted unanimously on Thursday evening in favour of the measure, proposed by the Socialist deputy Guillaume Garot, a former food minister. “It’s scandalous to see bleach being poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods,” he said.
Given the
dire drought in California, a state which produces
nearly all the fruits and vegetables in the U.S., perhaps it is time for our own government to get serious about food waste reduction and distribution—especially when a shocking
14.5% of Americans are considered "food insecure"—meaning they lack access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.