Throwing Out Your Leftover Turkey? You’re Part of the Wasted Food Problem

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Keep an eye on all that leftover squash casserole and sweet potato souffle in the fridge. It would be a shame if it went bad, because Americans waste a staggering amount of food every year. Nearly 40 percent of the food supply is wasted in the United States alone, according to a new study, published in the journal PLoS ONE. Researchers Kevin Hall and Carson Chow analyzed average body weight in the United States from 1974 to 2003 and figured out how much food people were eating during this period. Hall and Chow assumed that levels of physical activity haven't changed; some researchers think that activity has decreased, but Hall and Chow say their assumption is conservative. Then they compared that amount with estimates of the food available for U.S. consumers, as reported by the U.S. government to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The difference between calories available and calories consumed, they say, is food wasted [ScienceNOW Daily News]. They dubbed the difference the "missing mass of American food," and say it's the equivalent to each person in the United States wasting 1,450 calories-worth of food per day.

The new study reports more waste than a prior U.S. Department of Agriculture study which found that 27 percent of the food produced in the United States is wasted, according to their interviews with consumers and producers. A similar study presented over the summer suggests as much as 30 percent of food, worth about $48.3 billion, is tossed out each year, according to … the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) [LiveScience]. However, all the food waste studies seem to agree that while poorer countries waste food due to inefficient agricultural production, the majority of waste in richer countries is attributed to consumers simply tossing out the food they buy but don't eat. An overall decline in food prices in rich countries has also made leftovers seem less desirable and more expendable.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/...d-food-problem/

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

next time i'll mail you my leftovers, steven.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

next time i'll mail you my leftovers, steven.

Be sure to have it properly insulated and kept at the recommend temperature.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

next time i'll mail you my leftovers, steven.

Be sure to have it properly insulated and kept at the recommend temperature.

fuсk all that, im'a just throw it all in a tyvek envelope and let you sort it out

[one...two...tree 2,762]

next time i'll mail you my leftovers, steven.

Be sure to have it properly insulated and kept at the recommend temperature.

fuсk all that, im'a just throw it all in a tyvek envelope and let you sort it out

Hmmm...I suppose I could make a chili out of the rancid meat.

[NickD 203]

Finished the last of our turkey with all the other stuff, stuffing, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, yams, asparagus, mince and pumpkin pies last night. I don't have anything to eat tonight.

[alienlovechild 75]

However, all the food waste studies seem to agree that while poorer countries waste food due to inefficient production, the majority of waste in richer countries is attributed to consumers simply tossing out the food they buy but don't eat. An overall decline in food prices in rich countries has also made leftovers seem less desirable and more expendable.

That's one of my pet peeves and I don't throw out much food. I make only what I'll eat and don't end up with leftovers. My wife has no clue on portion control and makes way too much food. Pick food with a long shelf life but I don't get to eat much fresh stuff.

[Ban Hammer 13,395]

next time i'll mail you my leftovers, steven.

Be sure to have it properly insulated and kept at the recommend temperature.

fuсk all that, im'a just throw it all in a tyvek envelope and let you sort it out

Hmmm...I suppose I could make a chili out of the rancid meat.

maybe you two can make an exchange. you send him the leftovers, he sends you all his aluminum cans and old tires.

[Darnell 8,478]

I don't waste leftovers, ever. I'll eat what's in the fridge before I cook something new. Always ..

If it was waste made in food-prep, well it goes into the compost pile or the cats get it.

Bones, though - those I give to the cats.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

next time i'll mail you my leftovers, steven.

Be sure to have it properly insulated and kept at the recommend temperature.

fuсk all that, im'a just throw it all in a tyvek envelope and let you sort it out

How about a compromise: AJ, you send Steve the leftovers along with some ziplocs of ice (buy a Party-Ice^TM or ReddyIce^TM bag, divide it between ziplocs) and stuff the ice-filled bags and leftovers into the Tyvek envelope. A little more costly due to the weight of the ice, but...