This week you are to watch this video and comment below:
1) What is wrong with our current food system and mindset?
2) What needs to change? Why?
3) How could doing this NOT work? Why?
4) What did you take away from this video? How will you change?
https://www.knowledge.ca/program/just-eat-it
When is this due? Do we get a week to do this? cause the video is over an hour long, and I already have a busy weekend.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with out current mindset and food system is that we think the taste of the food is based on its appearance. So mass amounts of foods are thrown out right in the fields because they aren't aesthetically pleasing. People have a certain expectation for the looks of food so the workers are taught to just throw it on the ground. The cost of labour would be too high to pick up all the extra food. After the workers have already thrown out lots of food, the grocery store workers throw out the food they think won't sell. Then consumers buy food that they don't need, and eventually end up throwing it out. First world countries are producing more food than what we need and then just tossing it out. When the video said it's taboo to have no left over food from a party, it really showed how we as a society have the wrong mindset.
ReplyDeleteWe first need to rethink about food. We need to eat the food we have and realize that not all food needs to be the perfect shape. Then big corporations will be able to sell more 'imperfect' food. Farms will produce less, and in the end food will be wasted less. Wasting less food means saving money, and time for everyone. It also helps the environment if less food needs to be produced.
Obviously not everyone can live off of other peoples wasted food, because then no one is wasting food.
I learnt a lot about how much food is wasted. I've always heard the statistics, but seeing the dumpsters full of perfectly good packaged food really made me process what is going on. I think it's really cool that these people did this. I was worried about how much money I'll be spending on food when I live by myself, but this really shows that even just wasting less food saves so much money. I'll definitely be eating everything I buy. I don't need to throw out food just because of the best before date. I think planning what I buy will help waste a lot. Make plans for food based on what I already have, and then go shopping. Smaller more frequent trips to the store help reduce waste. I can freeze more food. Even just organizing the fridge so I know what to eat first can reduce a lot of waste.
ReplyDeleteOur current food system and mindset does not allow for a sustainable future. We base our thoughts on food by appearance and therefore, food companies throw out millions of pounds of deformed or bruised for each day. These foods are perfectly edible and probably taste just as good, but are sent to the dump because they are not aesthetically pleasing. When the documentary showed all the peaches that were being thrown away, most of the the peaches had a small bruise that would not affect their taste at all. The reason why the peaches were going to waste was because the food stores would not purchase these them. The farmers are given specific criteria to follow and the peaches must meet those ridiculously pointless standards. Then, when the celery farmer was explaining how much waste harvesting the heart of celery creates, he explained that it would cost way more for them to pick the wasted pieces up than their current process. This is absolutely crazy in my mind because I did not think that the way food looks had such a great impact on what we buy.
I think that it will likely be difficult to change habits individually, but if groups of people start initiatives locally, than it will have an impact globally. We can try and convince large food corporations to sell foods with blemishes. If they have a want for these products, they should supply to maintain their customers loyalty. We can also create more stores like the Quest store shown in the video that takes wasted food from larger companies and sells them at a lower price for those in need. As a society we need to create a stigma that waste is not acceptable. There are simple ways to prevent waste everyday, such as using freezers more, planning out meal before you go to the grocery store, buying only what you need, and by creating meals with what you already have in your fridge.
This change needs to happen because we are wasting precious resources that will affect our sustainability. These changes may not work because it involves participation by large corporations that only care about money and not food waste. As the celery farmer mentioned, often it is more economically friendly to waste the leftovers than to pay for someone to pick them up. The change would also mean changing society’s preconceived notions about how food tastes compare to how it looks.
This documentary was very eye-opening for me. I did not realise how much food was being thrown out for the most ridiculous of reasons. From this video, I learned that buying locally is a great way to prevent wasting your food. The farmer in the video noted that he sells directly to the consumers, so there is much less time spent transporting the food, giving consumers more time to eat it. I also learned that the best before dates on food only relate to quality and not the actual expiration of the food.
I will be much more cautious at the grocery stores and I will purchase as local as possible. At the grocery stores, my family and I tend to buy food without even thinking of when we are going to eat them. As suggested in the video, I will make a better plan with my family for when we are going to eat which foods to prevent waste. I also think that making a little box in the fridge that says “eat first” like in the video will allow me to make better choices in preventing food waste. I will also go to the local farmer’s market more often. My family already buys some of our produce from there, but I think that we should by most of it there instead of the grocery store. Finally, we can also put more of our foods in the freezer to make their edibility lifespan longer.
I think the issue with our food system currently is that society as a whole places the importance on superficial factors regarding food. We want what looks the best, what tastes the best instead of what IS the best for us. Because of this, most people would rather eat processed things that are unnatural instead of what would probably be better for us and our bodies.
ReplyDeleteI think before we can change anything on the outside, we need to change from the inside. We need to take a hard look at ourselves and change the way we think about food. The way we consume it, who needs it, and how much we waste. I feel that only once we have the majority of people recognizing that something needs to be done, that's when we an begin to enact change on a higher level. Eventually, retail policies can be shifted for what food is acceptable and what isn't. I think the emphasis should certainly be on reducing our amount of waste.
On the other hand, this may not work simply because of tradition. A lot of these ideas we have about changing society's views on things are sometimes purely optimistic. There's really nothing about our history of wasting food that leads me to believe that this will ever change, to be frank. But if we didn't at least TRY to think big, nothing new would ever get done.
This documentary was actually very shocking to me. I knew our food system was kind of messed up and we wasted a lot, but hearing some the stats is just mind blowing. It's ridiculous just how much we take for granted and when I see things like this, I can't help but think with the amount of food we waste, we could easily be on our way to eradicating world hunger. Only if we WANTED to, though. As long as the companies and retailers work the way they do now, nothing is going to change and that's the problem.
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ReplyDeleteAs stated in the video, what is wrong with our current mindset is that we think that only the best looking food is okay to eat. If it has one bump or bruise we don’t want to eat/buy it. This mindset intertwines with the current food system. Food companies are only buying the “good looking” fruits and vegetables because they hold a certain quality to the foods they sell. This leaves tons of discarded and wasted food that are actually perfectly fine to eat. Although the farmers are displeased with this process, the labor cost of the pick up and transportation of this food is too high, as shown by the celery farmer, This video also stated that people want to have more food than they need in their homes, as it is embarrassing to have not enough food or just enough food for the amount of guests.
I think that our mindset needs to change. We have to finish our food in restaurants, and we need to rethink what is actually okay to eat. Realistically, the only thing that would make food not okay to eat would be if it was moldy, recalled, or past the expiry dates; NOT the “sell by” date. As stated in the video, people need to plan their meals based on what is in their refrigerator and not based on what they feel like eating that day. When grocery-shopping people need to buy food they know they will eat and not just stock up on a bunch of different foods for a longer period of time.
Changes that were stated in the movie may not work because it requires a global change not just the difference one person can make. It is very hard to convince people to change, which could make this movement very difficult. The participation of food companies are needed to make this change, yet many of them value money over the good of the world. However, grocery stores like “Quest” proves that some food companies aren’t in it for the money and that change is possible.
Since watching this video, I realized how much food I actually waste. This makes me extremely disappointed in myself, as I was completely unaware of how much of an impact my actions have. I have already seen a change in the way I think about food. Every time I eat something now make sure to finish all of my food, even if it’s just some (almond) milk at the bottom of my cereal bowl or two potatoes left over from dinner. Next time I go to the grocery store I will make sure to pick the “ugly” fruits and vegetables as I know no one else will and they will just end up going to waste.
ReplyDeleteOur current food system and mindset is not realistic. We think that only the most visually appealing foods are acceptable to eat. As a result food companies are throwing out millions of pounds of perfectly healthy yet unappealing foods. (bruised, deformed, discoloured.) When the documentary showed all of the peaches being thrown out it was clear to see that there wasn’t anything actually wrong with the fruit itself that would make it inedible- they were just bruised. Corporations that sell the food to the public are aware of the fact that people will not buy “ugly” food so will only buy food that they think the public will approve of. Such high standards are being brought upon the farmers for such a ridiculous reason. There are people starving all around the world who would do anything to get a bruised peach into their stomach, while here we simply think we deserve better.
In order to start a change, we as society need to eliminate the idea of “ugly” foods being inedible. Once we realize that these blemished products will do us no harm larger food companies will be able to successfully sell their products without wasting so much. In the video there was a store called the Quest store which takes the wasted food from big companies and discounts the food for those who cannot afford it. If we adopted this idea i can only imagine how much perfectly good food would be saved, and how many struggling families would now be able to afford healthy foods. Our society claims to know that wasting is shamed upon yet turn our heads the other way when we see it happen first hand. We need to get rid of the stupid idea that wasting is ok because it isn’t. If we take action and can somehow shame those who waste so much on a daily basis maybe we will start to see a change.
The main reason I could see this not working is because it requires effort, and as we all know our generation is the laziest it’s probably ever been. Another reason is because it involves change, and as we’ve discussed in class we are not very open to change. The place where the biggest amount of participation would need to happen is in the large food corporations. They need to think about what is morally right and how much they are wasting rather than the money. (Which i know is a long shot nowadays). Another place where adjustments would be needed is in our very own homes. We need to learn to enjoy the food for the quality and the taste rather than how it looks.
This video made me realize and acknowledge how much food is being wasted on a day to day basis for reasons that seem absolutely silly to me. I imagine most of the damage done to the food is done during the transportation process. To help prevent this we can buy locally from farmers or even start our own little garden for certain vegetables etc. From this day forward I am going to try my very best to buy locally, and buy wisely. (Not buying food and then letting it go to waste without eating it). A great idea in the video was to make a box of “eat first” foods in your fridge so the food that needs to be eaten first will be. I would like to try and start my own little garden this summer, as I have in the past and it is a fun experience yet also rewarding in the food you grow. I am going to convince my family to do the same so as a family we will produce less unnecessary waste.
Our current mindset and food system is wacked. People throw out way too much food. About 1/3 of food produced is not consumed. I can contribute to this too. When I eat, I leave a bite or two left, it is almost habit and something I always do. I would change by making sure I eat everything on my plate, or take what I can eat. I will also eat leftovers, or try to find a better use to them instead of just throwing it away. Also, something to do is buy what I am going to eat in the day, get essentials that I have every day at the beginning of the week, but meals, just go to the grocery store and just buy what I am going to eat. Most food waste won't happen if we take the time to plan and sharpen our food storage skills
ReplyDeleteWhat needs to change is how much people waste. Household waste is the most compared to anything else. 15-25% of food bought is wasted from a household. That is very expensive when you think about it. Unused food in landfills is the main contributor of greenhouse gases. What needs to change is the purchasing and waste of food, if we buy less and waste less, we will still consume the same amount of food. We can even grow our own food, we can then understand how much we can eat. Some ways to change are to improve storage methods, redistribute food, reduce portion sizes, better food date labels, and launch consumer awareness campaigns are just a few among many.
Some of the changes in the video would not work because as a single person it is hard to change the minds of millions on something of this topic. Also, where it the change needs to start is with the food companies. They value money over anything else, and that is a problem. If restaurants or food suppliers started changing how they did things, and made it harder for people to waste food, then that would make a lot more of a difference.
When they talk about The Challenge, in the video the people find it difficult to complete. There are also things that are expired and bad to consume, so sometimes it will be difficult to not throw out food. People buy way too much than what they think they can eat. There is also the issue of "what looks good, tastes good." From experience, if the food does not look good, I will not eat it or buy it. Most people will do the same, and then that product will just be thrown out. In North America, over 30% of fruits and vegetables are thrown out because they do not look 'pretty' enough for consumers. By fixing this, I would propose to not look when I am eating it, or prepare it in a way that does not matter what it looks like, because in the end it will taste the exact same.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/food-and-our-planet/help-end-food-waste/
http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/06/10-ways-cut-global-food-loss-and-waste
I think the supermarkets underestimate
ReplyDeletewhat consumers will still eat. Like one of the farmers said about a peach, "you could just cut this part of and it would be perfectly
fine" and I believe and I have seen a lot of people with mind sets like that. While as a whole people waste a lot of food I think
that grocery stores and big corporations are one of the main contributors because they don't even give consumers the choice to take the "bad" food.
I think stores like Quest should be something more invested in because it did seem like they did a lot of good, but I do know it's also up to consumers to be
smarter with the food that they have.
While we do try and eat all of the food we buy, and give our dog leftovers aswell, my family too is guilty of food waste and throwing out perfectly good food. I think
one of the biggest issues is appearance
and I think clutter is a big factor as well.
Getting over this mindset is something we need to do, and I definitely didn't realize how much was actually wasted before it even reached the super market, I also had no idea stores like Quest existed.
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ReplyDeleteThe problem with our current mindset about food is the fact that we base what we eat on its appearance. That is also a problem for our food system because large amounts of food may be thrown out just because they would not be appealing to the buyer. The foods that are being thrown out are perfectly edible and have no real reason to be garbage. Unfortunately our mind set is the reason these foods are being thrown away. Companies think that the food will not sell id it does not look perfect, which in our society is true. We need to change our mindset so that these companies can begin selling the imperfect but edible foods.
Like mentioned above, I think that we first need to change the way we view our food. Most people may look at a deformed tomato that is perfectly fine and not eat it because of the way it looks. But then they will go to McDonald's and eat a burger that has no nutritional value and is so harmful to their body. Everyone needs to remember that food will not always be perfect and because these fruits/vegetables ect. are natural, they will have deformities/dirt marks/bruises. Hopefully as we change, the larger companies will begin to change as well and not throw away all of the imperfect foods.
Many people in our society are so stuck in their own ways which is why this may not work. Unfortunately people sometimes only see through their own tunnel vision and do not think of the big picture. Also I think that this issue requires a large change that many people need to participate in because if only one person changes it will not make a difference.
This video really surprised me. I did not really realize that we wasted so much food. It is so sad to know all of this food is just being thrown away when some people around the world don’t even have any food to eat. It’s so unfortunate that we have enough food in the world to end hunger but because most of us are so greedy we do not appreciate the imperfect things. I will change by choosing the imperfect fruits and vegetables when I go to the grocery store because I know there is not a great chance of anyone else picking them.
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ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIn our society we buy foods based on their appearance. If things have even slight imperfections its just thrown away and completely wasted. As stated in the movies, people’s mindset is: what look better tastes better, but that is not the case at all! People are constantly impulse buying without even knowing what they have at home which results in the person having too much of the one item and it being potentially wasted. This is a huge problem because perfectly good food is being wasted just based on cosmetics and people are wasting food and money without even blinking twice. We are not looking into the bigger picture. This is affecting so many things negatively and so many people, (myself included) are not aware.
Food does not magically just appear in our grocery stores. To get produce to our grocery stores it’s a huge process. There is the growth; labor to plant and harvest, water to help grow.. Etc, packaging, transportation, and labor to unpackage and put onto shelves. There is so much time, energy and resources put into our food. These are the things we don’t realize when we are throwing aeay things because they have a bruise or something unappealing. We need to start rationing our portions; take only what you need, and stop buying things just to have them. It’s not embarrassing to have “just enough food” that’s a success! Agriculture uses the most water out of any other thing on this world. Yet we are just throwing such a precious and scarce resource away. We are wasting so much more than just food and it is having a major impact on our worlds.
Well using only discarded food could not work because if you cant find food you will starve or if everyone starts to do it then there will be a shortage of imperfect food. But globally there is alpot of ignorant people who don’t realize what they are doing. Using less food and reducing your waste would not work because there are too many people who just don’t care enough to do this or waste their time thinking about it.
Watching documentaries about human impacts on the environment scares me. There are so many things I didn’t even realize I do. Considering I am for the most part environmentally conscious I can’t imagine how big of an impact the people who do not care are making. After watching this video I will become very aware of how much food I take so I don’t waste anything. I also plan on sharing this information with my family so we can all work together to reduce our waste.
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ReplyDeleteMark this one:
ReplyDeleteIn our lifestyle we are most concerned with the appearance of our food. This mindset has many consequences for our food system as it affects the way of what we deem acceptable to save and what to dispose of. As consumers, we throw our so concerned with how food looks, that it outweighs how edible the food is. Companies pry on this lifestyle, making it easier to sell us more and more food. We must change this in order to be sustainable.
As consumers we must first take a goid look at how we view our food. Most people fail to past mild deformities is of things such as fruits and vegetables. This is because we see an obvious flaw. When we cannot see this flaw (such as with processed food), we tend to consume more fake food. We are so concernee with appearance that we fail to know what real food looks like with its deformities/marks/bruises. Hopefully as we begin to change, we can lead larger companies to do the same and become more efficient with the disposal of food.
A major obstacle is breaking the habit. Unfortunately some people refuse to look at nutritional content and only look at the appearance. In order to create a sustainable way of living. We must force these people to change in order to create a more sustainable lifestyle for all.
I was unaware with how much food ww wasted. It is devastating how people can starve as we literally throw food out. It is devastating how we can throw food out while such a large number of people starve. We do have enough food to support us all but we refuse to reduce our consumption in order to share food a little more equally. I will make an effort when shopping to pick the imperfect fruits and vegetables, definitely for when needed for recipes (can't see the flaws then anyway!). Although a small step, it can help reduce what stores throw out.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest problem within our food system is how much food is wasted and is not being eaten. According to the video, we waste about 40% of our food which could most likely still be used. John Bloom also said that one third of all the food produced is not eaten. Another problem is the fact that we are buying things that we do not need. Many people do not want to go through the effort of having to go through their fridge and cupboards to find out what they need, so when they go shopping they are buying things they already have. This commonly results in excess food being bought and then wasted. We need to stop doing this. Also, people think that leftovers are boring. They would rather eat something new every day rather than reheating and eating the food left over from the day before or a few days ago. This mindset results in the wasting of any food that is still able to be eaten and therefor this mindset is resulting in the wasting of even more food. In our own households we are wasting about 15 to 25 percent of all the food we buy, which is ridiculous. That food could be reused or recycled, and it isn't. It is just thrown in the trash. One of the biggest problems and mindsets we have is the fact that we want our food to look perfect. We commonly don't want to buy food that is imperfected, that is deformed, or even slightly bruised. We want our fruits and veggies to look perfect and delicious, and if it doesn't look that way, we do not buy it, and if it goes rotten, the grocery store will have to throw it out. But if we were not so picky, and bought some produce that didn't look completely perfect, we would stop the wasting of so much produce.
We need to stop wasting so much of the food that is produced and stop throwing out food that is still good. We need to eat what we have available to us. This may be hard to do because we are so used to wanting to get rid of old food, and we don't like the thought of re-eating old food.
The biggest thing I took out of this video, is that we need to stop wasting so much food.
1.The main problem with our food system is the exact same as societies general problems. We base everything on standards that society has deemed aesthetically pleasing. We judge one another on the appearance of our clothes, bodies and faces. We have an ideal “look” for both men and women and we are putting the same judgements onto our foods. Perfectly good produce is thrown away on a daily basis because there is no market to sell it. Small blemishes and misshapen produce is deemed unusable and is simply wasted. The next problem that our society faces is the thought that having an abundance of food means success. We stuff our fridges with food that we could never eat before the expiry dates and throw gatherings with an excessive amount of food in order to show that we are living up to the standards of society.
ReplyDelete2.It won’t take huge changes to individually make a good impact on this problem. My family personally buys the brand “Naturally Imperfect” from No Frills. This is a brand of produce that is the unappealing looking produce. It may be bruised or too small or too big or scarred. They sell this fruit at a much better rate than that of traditional produce and it tastes just as good. Another important thing to do is make sure that you are checking the dates of everything in your fridge. If you see something that is close to the expiration date, make a meal out of it. After working in a grocery store I learned about the horrendous waste. Any product expired or a ripped bag must be put on the back shelf for disposal. I was not allowed to buy any product from the shelf of expired goods, even if I paid full price. It’s very difficult to make huge policy changes, but it is very simple to make changes in your own home. Don’t be afraid because something is odd looking. Cut off the mark and enjoy.
3.It’s impossible to eat only wasted food. All your food would be just almost at the expiry date and you would end up wasting even more. However, is is entirely possible to ensure you personally are not wasting any food.
4. I’m going to continue my current food habits, however I will also look more carefully at the expiry dates of our food and ensure that they are eaten before the expiry date. My family is large enough that very little gets wasted, but I can understand why this is such a problem for smaller families and couples. Working in a restaurant has helped me understand food cost and what tricks you can use to ensure that product doesn’t go to waste. I will keep attempting to learn more and more in order to ensure that no more waste occurs in my at home life.
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ReplyDeleteThere are many problems with our current food system and our mindset regarding food. We believe that only the most beautiful food is good for us and fit for consumption and that drives our levels of waste higher. We also feel that anything near it's best before date is not edible anymore which is not always true. We take that date and use it as a strict rule and typically want to finish that food product long before the date so we don't get sick. However, that date doesn't mean that it is no longer safe to eat, it's just not as fresh. As soon as any of our fruits of veggies start to get soft we think they're rotten, this causes so much waste. Our society has put ridiculous standards on our food and that is causing the high waste levels. We don't reject a newborn if it has a birthmark, we don't buy a brand new car over one scratch, but when it comes to food we want a flawless presentation.
We need to change our mindset about our food to start to solve this problem. We need to look at a bruise and think of how much good food is around that bruise, we can just cut the bruised part out. We need to think about the leftovers in the fridge before we make another huge meal. We can look at our not so beautiful fruits and turn them to jams and jellies instead of throwing them out. Society needs to realize how much is being wasted and start thinking of ways to reduce this. Reducing waste can start with making those jams and jellies, checking best before dates and only buying food that fits in the "menu" for the next few days. We can check the fridge for inventory before coming up with a meal. We can also reduce our serving sizes by a small amount; our serving sizes now are huge compared to the past. Over Christmas my parents served our turkey dinner on my Great Grandmothers fancy china plates and we were all struggling to get all of the food onto the plates. When comparing our everyday plates to the china ones there was an incredible difference, proving we have evolved to eat more than necessary. This also saves tons of money and I think that everyone would be okay with paying a little more attention to our food to save money.
Only discarded food can be next to impossible. The food that is attained is close to expiry and hard to come by as seen in the video. This can also be really unhealthy; as seen in the video, the man gained weight on this challenge and they had limited variety. A healthy and proper diet would not achieved by only eating discarded food and some food would be risky to consume.
This video was really an eye opener to me. I knew that there was obviously food wasted, especially in restaurants and vacation places but I didn't realize how much other food was wasted. In my family we are pretty good at eating everything... I really like food, however I am pretty sure that next year when I'm living by myself it might become something I need to be really aware of. Most recipes and even products sold in stores are for more than one person and that will need to be something I am aware of while living on my own. Watching best before dates is something I believe everybody would be able to save some food by doing so I will use that technique at home and while I'm at school. Managing the amount of food waste is a very underrated world issue and I feel it should be looked at more.
http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C988
DeleteOur current food system is extremely flawed because of the amount of goods that go discarded. There are three very harmful behaviors that we, as first world countries, display when buying and throwing out food. Approximately 40% of the food that is produced globally ultimately gets discarded because of overbuying, misleading best before dates, and displeasing appearances. Having the advantage of being able to purchase food that is so readily available to us, we only settle for the absolute best, leading farmers and grocery stores to throw out mass amounts of products that are still edible.
ReplyDeleteWe need to rethink the way that we purchase and hold our food. Many people easily throw food out once it passes its expiration day or if it changes look in the slightest way. Although something may not look right, it doesn’t mean that it has lost its taste or nourishment. We should also place pressure on grocery stores and restaurants to cut back on food waste. Back when I worked in the restaurant, I actually was a cook and I saw bins full of food – most of it perfectly edible – get thrown out solely because it did not look good or because it was the tiniest amount overcooked. The worst part about all of it was that not only would they not put the leftover foods aside for workers to eat, but restaurants and most grocery stores don’t even use green bins, so copious amounts of methane is unnecessarily released into our environment.
In the grocery store closest to my house, there is not an ‘imperfect’ section where we can buy flawed goods. However, at home, my family and I can make small changes to help the environment and to help cut back on wasted food. My family buys a certain amount of food that ends up going moldy, and we should try really hard to cut down on how many products we buy for just a family of four. We also allow some cooked food to go stale/old and end up throwing those things away as well. However, with all of this, we will eat flawed foods up until they become moldy because my family really doesn’t care if the food is a little discolored/soft, as long as it still tastes normal. Although we do waste very little, and although all of it goes into our green bins, it is still wasted food that could have gone elsewhere, so we will try to keep an open mind at the grocery store so that we do not over-buy, and we will use judgement over expiration dates as they can often be very misleading.
This video really did open my eyes. It's amazing how much societal conventions really engulf the way you see things and function. In the back of my head I always knew food was being wasted, like I'm sure everyone does, but never bothered to think about it or take a glimpse at it. This video helped me realize how flawed our food system is and the hilarious excuses companies use to justify disposing of perfectly good food.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe the policies of markets and groceries stores should change in terms of "unattractive food" or food past expiry. This food, as stated in the video, would be better off PROPERLY feeding livestock or feeding the soiling we grow our food in so the nutrients never go to waste. As far as society's mind set goes, I liked the point made in the video of making a meal out of what you have in the fridge and purchasing food at the store to help make that meal rather than a purchasing a whole new one. That's where our largest waste of food seems to stream from, not wanting to eat the same thing twice in a row. I sympathize with this desire but you can make a whole different meal out of an old one.
Making these changes may help, but only temporarily. As expressed in the video, they found large abundances of food that was close to going bad or perfectly fine, but had so much of it that they didn't even have time to consume it all. So as making these changes may help, there will always be waste as a result of the abundance of food constantly being produced and then thrown away.
From this video, I really want to stop being so picky or lazy and eat what I have because I'm lucky to have it. We take so much for granted and don't know what we have till it's gone. I feel that that is part of the problem... we take it for granted because we have that 'unlimited' supply.
Our current food system and mindset are wasting perfectly edible foods for the sole reason that they aren't physically appealing to eat. Or we simply waste food because we can. It's not like we're starving so we don't need to savor every last bite. I feel like our society as a whole feel like it's okay to waste food since we can afford it. This mindset needs to change because (now here's some food for thought) we in developed countries have an obesity problem while underdeveloped countries have a malnutrition problem... This video reminded me of a TED talk I watched last semester for my food's class and it revealed the same thing pretty much; the global food waste scandal. Basically, the large businesses like restaurants, supermarkets are especially wasting so much food. Sometimes even farmers throw away the oddly-shaped/bruised foods because most people will not buy them. Good, fresh food is being wasted on an immense scale. And if you include the food that gets fed to livestock, the maize, the soy, the wheat, that humans could eat but choose to fatten livestock to produce increasing amounts of meat and dairy products, it's evident that mainly the rich countries have 4x the amount of food need for the population. As a country gets richer, it invests more and more in getting more and more to its shops so a country like America has three times as much food on its shop shelves and in its restaurants than required to feed the American people. We waste animals too. Liver, lungs, tails, testicles, all of which are traditional and nutritious sometimes go to waste. The outcome is having them incinerated. Sometimes, I still hear people saying we need to increase food production for the billions of people expected in the future. Clearly, this isn't true. There is more than enough food on our earth to feed every person and more. So to change this, I think we should really be mindful about what we waste and also give back to what we've used. It was mentioned briefly in the video about feeding livestock the leftovers from our meals. I agree with this because it's more serviceable than feeding them foods from crops.
ReplyDeleteWe can never live in a waste-free world. But there is a lifestyle for us all to live to allow for a good, stable, secure, nutritional diet for every person in every country.
On a brighter note, we've clearly come really far from 13,000 years ago. It's amazing. But we are reaching the ecological limits that Earth can handle and when we chop down forests, every day, to grow more and more food, when we extract water from depleting water reserves, after releasing fossil fuel emissions to grow more food, and then throwing away so much of it, we have to rethink about what we can save. We do have the power to stop the waste of resources if we regard it as socially unacceptable to waste food. Silver lining: Bring about change. Stop wasting food.
websites: https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestock-biosecurity/pig-feed-why-it-illegal-feed-food-scraps-swill-pigs
https://www.ted.com/talks/tristram_stuart_the_global_food_waste_scandal/transcript?language=en#t-9256