Buying local reduces food waste, which is recyclable as compost for your garden (2024)

Ofall the food grown in the United States, up to 40 percent of it is lost gettingit from the farm to our fork, according to recent research from the Natural ResourcesDefense Council. From seed to salad our food requires10 percent of the nation’s energy budget, and required 80 percent of all thefreshwater used annually. What does this mean? With this kind of investment forall sources of our food can we really afford a 40 percent loss? In anotherindustry this would be unacceptable.

Wheredo these losses come from? In the North American supply chain, our food forconsumption goes through five phases. There are losses at each phase.

• Phase1:Losses during production and harvest (This year’s drought would be a directculprit for losses).
• Phase 2:Postharvest, handling and storage losses. (Recall that “fresh” means “perishable.”)
• Phase 3:Losses during packaging and processing. (Some losses are unavoidable such aspeelings, bones, egg shells, etc.)
• Phase 4:Distribution and retail losses. (If someone does not buy it in a timely fashionit goes bad just the same.)
• Phase 5:Consumer losses including restaurant foods. (By far, the largestpercentage of loss occurs here.)

Somewe can control, some we cannot. We have a nation that demands perfect, soil-and blemish-free food. Many of these not-so-perfect specimens often wind up inthe landfill rather than recycled or creatively used. Some solutions that havealways helped are to make processed products out of the not-so-perfectspecimens of our fruits and vegetables. Some examples are applesauce from imperfectapples and “baby cut” carrots from the crooked carrots growers won’t sell inthe produce stand. Other choices are diversion into animal feed when possibleor compost facilities for recycling back into a usable soil amendment product.

Athome and when we go out to eat, we waste food. From the “yucky” bits we trimoff during our own cooking to the overlarge portions that are discarded atrestaurants. We are throwing away 50 percent more food than we did 40 yearsago. Recognizing that out-of-the home food consumption is up (people in theU.S. go out to eat about 2.5 times per week) and food portion sizes have increasedovertime enables us to exert some control.

Misunderstandingof package labeling is also a factor in pre-mature food discarding. The “useby” and “best by” dates found on our food products are suggestions for peakquality by the manufacturer. They do not necessarily indicate when the foodwill expire or how safe the food is to consume. The only exception to this isinfant formula which has federally regulated “use by” dates. By developinghabits that saves food at a national level now we can help to reduce losses andthe need to increase production in the future.

Somesteps we can take at home to reduceare food waste include following the 3-Rs ofrecycling: reduce, reuse and recycle (compost). Reduce waste by buying onlywhat is necessary; buying locally reduces the number of phases some fresh foodsgo through. Another option is to purchase only what your family can consume ina reasonable time or by the food’s expiration date. Buying in bulk can save youmoney, but not if you wind up throwing half of it – and your savings – away becauseit went bad before you could use it. Reuse scraps by making stocks and soups.Plan in advance how to use or preserve leftovers. For example extra cooked ricecan be eaten the next day, remade into a new dish or frozen for futureconsumption.

Stores,restaurants and other commercial establishments can consider donations of extraun-served or unsold products. Recycle through composting either at home orthrough your community services.

Formore information about food and composting, contact your county Michigan StateUniversity Extension office or your local recycling coordinator.

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