Approximately 31 percent of food produced in the United States, or 133 billion pounds of food worth $162 billion, went to waste in 2011, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Although America wastes less meat (on average) compared to fruits and vegetables, a new study finds that meat production uses significantly more energy compared to vegetable production.
This wasted energy is usually in the form of resources that can have negative impacts on the surrounding environment, such as diesel fuel or fertilizer being released into the environment.
“While many of us are concerned about food waste, we also need to consider the resources that are wasted when we throw away edible food,” says coauthor Christine Costello, assistant research professor at the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
“Farm equipment used to feed and maintain livestock and plant and harvest crops uses a lot of diesel fuel and other utilities from fossil fuels. When people waste meat, these fuels, as well as fertilizers, are also wasted. Based on our study, we recommend that people and institutions be more conscious of not only the amount but the types of food being wasted.”
During the study, pre- and post-consumer food waste was collected from four all-you-care-to-eat dining facilities over three months in 2014. Costello and her research team created a detailed inventory of the specific types of food waste: meat, vegetables, or starches. The food waste also was categorized as either edible or inedible (peels and ends of fruits and vegetables).
