Food Systems Thinker
Lesson 3.1 Food Waste
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to understand the issues regarding food waste and try to make a change.
Wasted food
Wasted Food
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Wasted money
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Wasted effort
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Wasted planetary resources
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Greenhouse gas emissions
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Pollution contributor
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Food insecurity
Before moving forward with this lesson, download and review the worksheet.
Activity 1: Watch "Why Do We Waste Perfectly Good Food In The U.S.?"
*Click CC button on the lower right corner for closed captions and subtitles.
HIGHLIGHTS
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The world produces enough food to nourish everyone on the planet. But nearly one-third of all food produced each year is thrown away or spoiled before it can be consumed.
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Over 41 million Americans are going hungry (food insecure). There are people who are malnourished, cannot afford, or have no access to healthful food.
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Stores display a large quantity of food to increase sale. They constantly order and stock new products and throw away unexpired food or food that are not pretty enough. The focus is on making profit not compassion.
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Businesses do not donate food because they are afraid to get sued. They shouldn't be afraid because there is a law to protect them called "Good Samaritan Food Donation Act".
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The U.S. does not have federal standards on food expiration dates. Except baby food, we can still use some foods after the expiration dates. Use our senses to look, smell, and taste a little to make sure the food is not spoiled.
Complete the worksheet.
In the developing world, food waste happens at harvest time because of poor storage, a lack of access to technology and markets, and the unavailability of manual and financial investment to harvest.
For many Americans, food waste happens in the kitchen — when we prepare food that goes uneaten or leave food to spoil in our fridges and cabinets.
Leverage Point = A place to intervene in a system
Making a small change can result in a large improvement in the whole system.
Additional Information
In France, a food waste law has resulted in a large improvement in their food system. In the Philippines, people struggle to feed themselves in order to survive. I encourage you to think about the law and policy that can help reduce food waste in the U.S. and improve people's lives in the Philippines.
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Read about how France changed the food waste law to increase donations to charities and get rid of certain constraining contracts between supermarkets and food manufacturers. The law has helped grocery stores better manage their stocks, become more attentive to their environment, and give more.
NPR - French Food Waste Law Changing How Grocery Stores Approach Excess Food
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Watch the video of how some people in the Philippines made a living by gathering discarded meat from the landfill. The meat was washed and recooked into "pagpag" to feed poor people who can't afford to buy fresh meat.
BBC News - Would you eat recycled landfill meat?
Activity 2: You are in control of how much you get food as well as where food you do not use and the leftovers will go. Use the hierarchy diagram and tips from the video in Activity 1 to help you plan to reduce food waste at school and at home.
Complete the worksheet.
CONCLUSION
You learned about the reasons that food waste is a problem financially, socially, and environmentally. You also learned about what you could do to be part of the solution by buying reasonable portions of food, checking food after expiration date, and composting.
References
https://redspoon.in/shouldnt-waste-food
https://www.wfpusa.org/articles/8-facts-to-know-about-food-waste-and-hunger
Ponto, C. F., & Linder, N. P. (2011). Sustainable tomorrow: A teachers’ guidebook for applying systems thinking to environmental
education curricula. Retrieved from https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/1715/1373/1187/ConEd-Sustainable-
Tomorrow-Systems-Thinking-Guidebook.pdf