Humans, especially in the United States, were not always responsible for the vast amounts of food and food products wasted. Before Europeans migrated and settled in the land inhabited by Native Americans, food waste was unheard of for centuries.
The purpose of Stop Food Waste Day on April 26 is to educate people on how to reduce food waste. It’s unfathomable that approximately one-third of the food produced on Earth is either lost or spoils. The purpose of this day is to bring attention to this startling statistic. While so many people on the planet go famished, the issue of food waste continues to grow.
Humans, especially in the United States, were not always responsible for the vast amounts of food and food products wasted. Before Europeans migrated and settled in the land inhabited by Native Americans, food waste was unheard of for centuries. Native Americans, who relied primarily on hunting and gathering for food, were renowned for using every part of a slaughtered animal; hides were used for clothing and shelter, brains were used to tan the hide, and even bones were used as tools to sew or excavate holes. Rarely did edible or functional items go to waste.
This tale was reiterated by the earliest settlers. Settlers moving westward on the new continent, the pioneers of the late 1800s, were confronted with limited resources and harsh conditions; consequently, they employed a number of similar practises to reduce food waste. Prior to this, the pioneers would use animal parts such as the head and feet for soap and the lard to create soap.
The modern concept of food waste as we understand it today was established during the industrialization boom preceding World War I. Suddenly, difficult-to-obtain and expensive foods and products were mass-produced and processed with such alarming velocity that they lost their precious value. Industrialization made it simpler for people to accept waste because they knew there would be more the following day, and at a low cost. However, new sanitation systems still made creative use of food refuse, and people recycled what they could, often out of necessity.
In many respects, World War II marked the end of scarcity. Rationing ended, the Great Depression ended, the economy was booming, and new materials and waste disposal practises made it simple to toss whatever you had, buy a replacement, and feel secure with a “out of sight, out of mind” attitude. At this time, there was no longer a need to repurpose food waste, and it became commonplace to dispose of perfectly fine resources.
Today, food waste is a pervasive issue; nearly half of the food produced in the United States is wasted. This means that 80 billion pounds of edible food are merely discarded. Every day, millions of individuals suffer from famine and starvation as a result of this trend. There are approximately 219 pounds of food squandered per person each year. How will you modify your phone number?
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If we lived in a world without food waste, experts estimate that we would be able to feed 3 billion more people — a substantial number compared to the 925 million people who are estimated to be famished today.
Unconsumed food annually wasted a quarter of our water supply to the extent of $172 billion.
We’ve all heard of methane, the greenhouse gas that contributes even more to global warming than carbon dioxide; rotting food in landfills generates vast quantities of this hazardous chemical.
Fruits, vegetables, roots, and tubers, which are some of the most perishable foods, are wasted more than any other type of food.
A significant amount of food is discarded because grocery stores do not find it aesthetically pleasing enough to display.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | April 26 | Wednesday |
| 2024 | April 26 | Friday |
| 2025 | April 26 | Saturday |
| 2026 | April 26 | Sunday |
| 2027 | April 26 | Monday |
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