Beautifully imperfect apples and pears

Special reports on food waste:

 

NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENCE COUNCIL:

 

In 2012, the Natural Resources Defence Council released a special report titled, "Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill."

 

"Given all the resources demanded for food production, it is critical to make sure that the least amount possible is needlessly squandered on its journey to our plates.....By increasing the efficiency of our food system, we can make better use of our natural resources, provide financial saving opportunities along the entire supply chain, and enhance our ability to meet food demand."  View the full report.

 

USDA:

 

"This report provides the latest estimates by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) on the amount and value of food loss in the United States. These estimates are for more than 200 individual foods using ERS’s Loss-Adjusted Food Availability data. In 2010, an estimated 31 percent or 133 billion pounds of the 430 billion pounds of food produced was not available for human consumption at the retail and consumer levels. This amount of loss totaled an estimated $161.6 billion, as purchased at retail prices. For the first time, ERS estimates of the calories associated with food loss are presented in this report. An estimated 141 trillion calories per year, or 1,249 calories per capita per day, in the food supply in 2010 went uneaten. The top three food groups in terms of share of total value of food loss are meat, poultry, and fish (30 percent); vegetables (19 percent); and dairy products (17 percent). The report also provides a brief discussion of the economic issues behind postharvest food loss."  View the full report.

 

Articles on food waste:

 

Title: Give ugly produce some love.

Source: dailyburn.com

 

"Picture-perfect fruits and vegetables may look good on Instagram, but their not-so-shapely peers will taste just as good. (And will be just as nutritious!) www.EndFoodWaste.org estimates that up to 20 percent of produce is wasted because of cosmetic reasons. Lots of disfigured produce gets tossed before it even makes it to most supermarkets and grocery stores, so show your support for the uglies by shopping at local farmers markets. Even better: Be an ugly activist by tagging your quirky food photos #loveuglyfood."  View the full article.