14 DAY TRIAL // Food waste is a serious problem in many countries, but what makes it absolutely infuriating is the knowledge that many people struggle with hunger on a daily basis, while perfectly good food items are being thrown away.
Food waste was also the focus of the latest episode of John Oliver’s HBO show, Last Week Tonight. You can see it in full below, *but please be advised that some discretion is recommended because of language that might offend.
Almost 40% of everything that’s produced ends up in the trash can because people tend to buy more stuff than they need or consume, while supermarkets overstock.
What makes matters worse is that even if some supermarkets / restaurants or farmers would think of donating leftover or past their (arbitrary) by-date items to a charity providing for people in need, they wouldn’t do it: it’s cheaper to just throw away the food than to actually have it sent to someone who needs it.
If you also consider the negative impact that landfills have on the environment, food waste becomes a multi-faceted problem that needs a solution. Being a responsible shopper could be a good first step in that direction, but it would only amount to a drop in an ocean (of wasted food).
Here’s John Oliver breaking it down to America its huge waste food problem. This also applies to other countries in the world; it might not apply to the same extent, but it still does.
