Abandoned by user

wastes nearly 50% of the food produced in this country.

Households waste approximately 30% of the food that we purchase. The next time you go to the grocery store and purchase three bags worth of groceries, toss one of them out the window on the way home. Raising my hand, admitting my guilt. Right here.

I enjoyed this book far more than the one that preceded it. As much as I loathed the author of Not Buying It, I liked Jonathan Bloom. He is deeply interested in food waste/food loss, but refrains from being holier-than-thou about it. He acknowledges both the moral aspects of our cultural acceptance of wasting food, but also discusses, without nagging or preaching, ways to change the culture so that we become more aware and avoid waste as much as possible.

There are a lot of moral questions raised in this book - related to food insecurity and hunger, both here and abroad, as well as the environmental aspects of landfilling perfectly good food. Difficulties are clearly articulated and no simple solutions are presented because none exist.

It did, personally, resonate with me. Wasting food is both a waste of money, and an indication of how little value I personally place on food. I've never been hungry, a fact for which I am thankful, and I likely never will be. I live in a place of great plenty - such plenty that I can "afford" to throw food away. This is astounding, really. At no other time, nor place, in history has this been true for large swaths of the population.

Note: this was a scribd read!