How combating food Waste can help our environment

By Mindjina Courage, Environmental Communicator / UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute

Published November 22, 2021

According to a Food and Agriculture Organization report, Earth’s population is expected to increase to 9.3 billion by the year 2050, meaning we will need to produce 60% more food to feed this growing population.

At the same time, Americans throw away roughly 30 to 40% of their food supply each year. A 2010 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found 133 billion pounds of food worth $161 billion was thrown away in 2010 alone. Food is wasted for a number of reasons: spoilage, over-ordering, and discarding of produce with blemishes are a few.

While food waste can unnecessarily threaten global food security, it also places a burden on our natural environment and can contribute to climate change, explains Ratna Suthar, a data modeler who earned a Ph.D. in agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida. For her research, she worked on a model used to help quantify tomato losses in Florida.

“Globally, 70% of our fresh water is used for agriculture.”

“Globally, 70% of our fresh water is used for agriculture,” Suthar said.

When we waste food, we waste resources that were used to produce the food, like land, water and energy.

“When food goes to the landfill, and it rots, it produces methane,” Suthar said.

Methane is a greenhouse gas that can be vastly more potent than carbon dioxide.

When methane enters the atmosphere, it acts as a heat-trapping blanket around Earth, and is responsible for about 30% of atmospheric warming since pre-industrial times, according to a United Nations report published in May. The report suggests that immediate reductions in methane emissions are the strongest chance we have at slowing climate change. Landfills are one of the largest sources of methane and account for 17.4% of the total U.S. anthropogenic methane emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Capturing and reusing methane is one way to reduce emissions from landfills. Currently, roughly 500 out of the more than 2,600 landfills in the U.S. are capturing methane through a network of wells, pipes and pumps, processing it, and using it for energy to power vehicles and produce electricity.

In the U.S., 31% of our food loss occurs at the retail level in stores and restaurants. Suthar attributes this type of food loss to inefficiencies in the supply chain, poor infrastructure, faulty coordination, and natural disasters.

In developing nations, food waste occurs closer to the beginning of the supply chain.

“They lack the infrastructure for storing or logistics, so food tends to go bad in the earlier stages because it’s harder to preserve,” Suthar said.

Combating food waste isn’t exactly simple, says Boz Ziynet, an agricultural and biological engineering student at UF who researches sustainable food systems. She says each nation requires a food sustainability plan that is catered toward their specific needs.

“There is not a one size fits all approach when looking at a global perspective.”

John Mandyck, the chief sustainability officer at United Technologies Building and Industrial Systems, who co-authored the book Food Foolish: The Hidden Connection Between Food Waste, Hunger and Climate Change told NPR that simple steps can help prevent food waste. In Afghanistan, the food losses to insects and rot were reduced from 20% to less than 2% after the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations provided farmers with grain silos, a large structure used for storing grains. And, getting farmers to use burlap bags to transport produce could prevent bruising on the way to markets.

At the University of Florida, some food waste is composted to help decrease the amount of waste in the landfill, said Hannah Ulloa, sustainability communications coordinator for the UF Office of Sustainability. Composting involves recycling organic matter like leaves and food scraps into fertilizer that can enrich the soil. According to the EPA, composting food and other waste can significantly reduce methane emissions.

In April 2022, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is joining businesses and various other industries for the start of Florida Food Waste Prevention Week, a campaign “to raise awareness and inspire Floridians to reduce food waste at home, work, and in our communities.”

But, there are actions that we can implement right now in our households to prevent food waste.

We can reduce the surplus of food in our homes by:

Make a grocery list to avoid overbuying. Plan out your meals and snacks for the week before you head to the store so you’ve only buying what you need. And, maybe have a snack before to avoid shopping while hungry (we’ve all been there!). Be sure to check your fridge and pantry ahead of time to take inventory of what you already have.
Think twice before throwing food away. Sometimes, veggies and greens that are just past their prime are still a good addition to soups and smoothies. Overripe bananas can be used to make banana bread. Even stale bread can be used to make croutons.
Organize your fridge & pantry. Put newer items near the back so you ensure you’re using the items that will go bad first.
Store food properly. Be sure to keep your refrigerator cool enough and store cooked foods on shelves above raw foods. Placing leftovers in sealed containers can help keep them fresh longer. Consider freezing leftovers you don’t plan on eating right away to keep them preserved for longer.
Compost food scraps. Consider starting an at home compost pile to avoid sending food scaps to the landfill.
Donating excess food to food banks. When doing your pantry inventory, if you have nonperishables that you do not plan on using, make space by donating them to a local food bank or shelter.

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This story is part of the UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute's student-produced Earth to Florida newsletter that curates the state’s environmental news and explains what’s going on, why it matters and what we can do about it.

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