40% of the food in America goes to waste. Paradoxically, one out of eight Americans struggles to put food on their tables. This is according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) whose research also indicates that uneaten food is the single largest contributor to U.S landfills today. This waste amounts to over $162 billion every year which makes up almost a quarter of water consumption and 4% of oil consumption in the country.
Food wastage is not just a problem in America, though. To look at the big picture, if all food waste in the world was a country, it would rank third globally in greenhouse gas emissions behind the United States and China. This refers to the carbon pollution brought about when transporting and disposing of waste.
The Save the Food Campaign
In April 2016, NRDC teamed up with the Ad Council to launch a national media campaign dubbed Save the Food. The campaign was launched at the Second Annual Food Tank Summit in Washington, D.C. and aims to reach the consumers who are directly responsible for the 40% of food that goes to waste. The objective of Save the Food is to make consumers aware that they can do a lot to significantly reduce food wastage in the U.S and in the world.
Long-term Commitment
Over the years, NRDC has been collaborating with agency and government leaders to set waste reduction targets. The business sector has also been included, being encouraged to come up with innovative new approaches.
The efforts of these campaigns have been, so to speak, bearing fruit. In September 2015, the Obama administration announced the country's pioneer food waste reduction goal: a call was made to reduce food waste by 50% over the next 15 years. Days later, the UN made a similar call and two months later, Congress authorized landmark legislation that would significantly increase donations of food that might have otherwise been wasted.
Change has also been seen among grocers, non-profit organizations and food storage appliance manufacturers. These stakeholders have upped their game in expanding the market for healthy and tasty fruits and vegetables that may not look so appealing. They are doing this by improving food storage facilities and creating organized routes for donating food while it can still be consumed.
Food Quality Control Jobs
Another change that needs to come is with food quality control jobs. These jobs involve managing the quality and safety standards of food products and the processes of food manufacturing. Managerial level food quality control jobs require knowledge about set quality standards, safety procedures, managerial procedures and government regulations for the food industry.
Ideally, those doing these jobs would align their objectives to reducing food wastage. They would do so by holding all industry players like grocers, non-profit organizations and food storage appliance manufacturers to higher standards. When these standards are met, food would last longer so less of it would be thrown away.
So far, so good. The Save The Food Campaign is reducing food wastage. Hopefully, everyone will do their part towards achieving the set objectives and ensuring no American has to go hungry.