Everyone has role to play in reducing food waste

Source： Release Date：2013-04-08 321

Food & Beverage

At a meeting of the American Chemical Society, John Floros, Ph.D, dean of the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University, emphasises the need to reduce food waste, and the necessity to start another ‘green revolution’

The smallest unit of society – the family – can be key players in the initiative to feed the world, and they could save money by helping to cut food losses, occurring from farm to fork to trash bin. This is the message of John Floros, Ph.D., during his speech at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Dr Floros, the dean of the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University, said that in order to feed the world by 2050, another ‘green revolution’ will be necessary. This means developing agricultural innovations such as high-yield, disease-resistant breeds of grain. "That will mean scientific innovations, such as new strains of the big three grains — rice, wheat and corn — adapted for a changing climate and other conditions. It also will require action to reduce a terrible waste of food that gets too little attention," he said.

Up to half of the food harvested from farmers' fields is lost before reaching consumers, he said. That waste can occur due to spoilage from improper storage of grain during transportation or from pests. About 20% of the world’s food supply is eaten or spoiled by rodents that contaminate harvest with urine and feces.

"A different kind of waste occurs in the United States and some other developed countries," Dr Floros said. "Developed countries have much more efficient systems for preserving, storing, transporting and protecting food from spoilage and pests. But as a nation — households, supermarkets, restaurants, other food-service providers — we throw away about 4 out of every 10 pounds of food produced each year."

According to government studies, the average family in the United States throws away 20 pounds of food a month, more than $2,000 worth every year for a family of four. This includes food that has gone uneaten and spoiled in refrigerators and on pantry shelves, as well as food that people throw away after cooking. Uneaten food rivals paper, plastic and other refuse as the No. 1 material in some municipal landfills.

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