Ugly Produce – ‘Pretty’ Delicious
“In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply. This estimate, based on estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service of 31 percent food loss at the retail and consumer levels, corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010”
The topic of food waste today is: produce. Farmers are in the thick of production right now and it’s no secret that good produce is being thrown away.
Welcome to Stanton Team Member Jen’s Ted Talk , where she is going to passionately give you an elevator speech on produce waste!
Society and our current culture has:
1. “Aesthetic Standards”: creating a notion that if our produce isn’t perfectly blemish free, it isn’t good anymore. Produce and people are the same here – just because you have a little bruise or a little beauty mark doesn’t make you any less of a person does it?! NO! Same goes for produce. A little bump, scrape or mark does not make the produce inedible. On the flip side, please be sure to inspect your fruits and vegetables for unwanted sightings such as mold and insect presence.
2. Trends: homestead, farmstead, cottage-core life, homemade, etc. are trendy right now across social media platforms and people are trying to maintain a certain lifestyle or look that isn’t always successful. People get ideas from what they see, they want to re-create it, but then other factors take play — not the right ingredient, too many of this, not enough of that, no time, forgot the grocery list with the exact items, ect.
3: Easy Access: Consumers can stop by a grocery store or market and have access to a plethora of goods and because of that, many people do not second guess throwing something away because they know they can always get more.
…end Ted Talk!
Other Factors Contributing to Food Waste:
Production Errors: Every mistake, from equipment defects to human errors, can lead to discarded food and contribute to the alarming rate of food waste. Production errors can include improper handling, maintenance issues, and improper sanitation in our food production processes.
Overproduction: Food overproduction in the US leads to unnecessary waste. With a surplus of up to 50%, farmers and suppliers are forced to discard perfectly good food due to strict standards and logistical challenges.
Poor Packaging: Packaging plays a crucial role in preventing food waste during transportation to retailers. more than 8.5% of fruits and vegetables transported to distribution centers and retailers in disposable packaging is damaged. Poor packaging techniques causes 10% of grain products, 5% of seafood, and 4% of meat to be lost.
Distance to Travel: Did you know that processed food in the US travels over 1,300 miles on average? Fresh produce has an even longer journey, traveling over 1,500 miles! These lengthy transport times can lead to damage and reduced shelf life.
There are many more factors that play into food waste that are not mentioned here—much encouragement to do your own personal research on this interesting topic!Ugly or pretty, it all tastes the same, but here are some ideas to use up the unsightly items:
Stir Fry Vegetables
Veggie Casserole
Veggie Quiche
Tomato Sauce
Salsa
Fruit Smoothies
Soups