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Food waste (view source)

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[[Food]] waste is one of the [[:File:food-funnel.png|inefficiencies that get in the way of feeding the world]].
[[Category:Problems]]
'''Food waste''' is one of the major [[:File:food-funnel.png|inefficiencies]] that cause global [[hunger]] and [[deforestation]].


Globally, about 25% of [[food]] goes to waste. In rich countries such as USA and Canada, it's over 50%. About half of food waste comes from '''businesses''', and the other half comes from '''individual people'''.
About 25% of the world's [[food]] goes to waste. In rich countries such as USA and Canada, it's over 50%. About half of this comes from '''businesses''', and the other half comes from '''individual people'''.


==Business food waste==
==Actions to take==
===Commercial / retail===
===Collective actions {{fists}}===
* '''[[Redirect unwanted food from businesses]]''' <span style="color:#AAA">before they throw it in the trash</span>
* '''[[Make it illegal for businesses to waste food]]'''
* '''[[Demand longer lunch breaks]]''' so people have time to finish their lunch
===Individual actions===
* '''[[save food|Learn how to make use of everything before it goes bad]]'''
** Read: [[Is it still ok to eat]]
* Buy day-old food (at a discount) from restaurants, bakeries, cafes, etc.
** Even if you know they don't offer it, ask them anyway, just to let them know that people are interested.
* '''Boldly break social norms!''' When you're at a public event and you see half-eaten plates of food abandoned, be weird and just start eating them. When haters ask what you're doing, use this as an opportunity to school them about food waste.
* Try [[dumpster diving]] to recover perfectly good food that businesses throw out!
: {{minor|Note: Only do the last 2 things if you have a healthy immune system.}}
 
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==Why ''those'' actions matter the most &uarr;==
===Business food waste (commercial / retail)===
Much of the food that businesses waste, would be perfectly safe to eat. This may include:
Much of the food that businesses waste, would be perfectly safe to eat. This may include:
* Day-old donuts, muffins, and other baked goods.
* Day-old donuts, muffins, and other baked goods.
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====Unpredictability of demand====
====Unpredictability of demand====
Suppose you own a bakery. During the hours that you're open, you need to have fresh food available at all times. You don't know exactly when the next customer will walk in, or what they will order. You don't know exactly ''how many'' customers you'll have that day. So you err on the side of baking more than what you typically sell - just in case you get a lot of customers that day. You'll probably lose some money by not selling everything. But it's less money than you would have lost by ''not baking enough'' and then ''selling out'' of things.
Suppose you own a [[bakeries|bakery]]. During the hours that you're open, you need to have fresh food available at all times. You don't know exactly when the next customer will walk in, or what they will order. You don't know exactly ''how many'' customers you'll have that day. So you err on the side of baking more than what you typically sell - just in case you get a lot of customers that day. You'll probably lose some money by not selling everything. But it's less money than you would have lost by ''not baking enough'' and then ''selling out'' of things.


So at the end of the day, you only sold half of the things you baked. You can sell some of the leftovers at a discount tomorrow. But there just aren't as many people buying ''day-olds'' compared to the number of people buying ''fresh'' stuff that you will bake tomorrow. So ultimately, most of your day-old goods end up in the trash.
So at the end of the day, you only sold half of the things you baked. You can sell some of the leftovers at a discount tomorrow. But there just aren't as many people buying ''day-olds'' compared to the number of people buying ''fresh'' stuff that you will bake tomorrow. So ultimately, most of your day-old goods end up in the trash.
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* If there was some sort of weird subscription service so the bakery would know exactly how many customers to serve, ahead of time
* If there was some sort of weird subscription service so the bakery would know exactly how many customers to serve, ahead of time


===Farm subsidies===
===Personal food waste===
 
In some countries such as Canada, economic policy{{x|especially the ''quota systems'', which have been around for decades; these policies exist to protect the interests of certain farmers{{en}} }}forces farmers to waste perfectly good food products. {{en}} {{qn}}
 
==Personal food waste==


Sometimes, when food gets dried out or stale, people mistakenly think that it is rotten or moldy when it is not.
Sometimes, when food gets dried out or stale, people mistakenly think that it is rotten or moldy when it is not.
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* If a spice has half the flavor, just use twice as much. It's easier to finish up old packages that way.
* If a spice has half the flavor, just use twice as much. It's easier to finish up old packages that way.


Then there are people who seem to just not care - people who eat half of what's on their plate, and then throw the rest out. Some possible motivations for this behavior:
====Apathy and more====
There are people who seem to just not care - people who eat half of what's on their plate, and then throw the rest out. Some possible motivations for this behavior:
* Misjudging how much food one plans to eat.
* Misjudging how much food one plans to eat.
* Cultural norms - treating food waste like it's not a big deal.
* Cultural norms - treating food waste like it's not a big deal.
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** Breaks too short, not enough time to finish food, and nowhere to store it.
** Breaks too short, not enough time to finish food, and nowhere to store it.


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==Actions to take==
==FAQ==
As mentioned above:
==="Does food wasted in North America ''really'' affect starving kids in Africa?"===
* Asking restaurants for discounted day-old goods
Yes. Food is a global market. When Americans (or anyone else) waste food, it shrinks the global food supply. Prices go up, and people with the least money are the first to suffer.
* Learning how to really make use of foods at home
* Campaigning for long-enough lunch breaks
===Dumpster diving===
If businesses fail to reduce food waste, you can take matters into your own hands.


Disclaimer: Make sure this is legal in your country. It generally is. We should expand this page by listing the countries where dumpster diving is legal/illegal.
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==See also==
==See also==
Other food inefficiencies include:
====Other causes of food waste====
* [[Food loss]]
* [[Farm subsidies]] - In some countries, economic policy forces farmers to waste perfectly good food products. For example the [[Canadian dairy quota system]].
* Animal [[factory farming]]
====Other food inefficiencies====
* [[Food loss|Food ''loss'']]
* [[Livestock inefficiency|Animal agriculture]] when food crops are used as feed
* [[Biofuel]]
* [[Biofuel]]
See the [[food|main food page]] for the general overview.
====General problems====
* [[Hunger]]
* [[Deforestation]]


==External links==
==External links==
* http://www.save-food.org
* http://www.save-food.org
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