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Reducing food waste in America

A recent study co-authored by an Ohio State University professor says about one third of all food available around the world is wasted, and consumers believe there are benefits to wasting food that are not based on reality.

Dr. Brian Roe, Professor of Agricultural Marketing and Policy at OSU says the study found just over half of the people in the United States had heard about food waste being an ongoing problem or issue.

“This suggests that nearly half of the population doesn’t have this on the top of their mind or isn’t fresh in their mind as of last summer at about this time” says Roe.

Taking the issue further, Roe says people recognized food waste wasn’t a good thing but the waste had environmental benefits.

“About 77 percent agreed with the statement that they feel guilty when they throw away food. Many fewer agreed with the idea that throwing away food was bad for the environment. Less than 60 percent in fact agreed with that.” says Roe.

The report identified removing “Sell by” dates from food packages, which Roe said generally have more to do with freshness than food security. Also education on negative environmental impacts and better data on measuring household waste could lead to improvements.

“I think there’s strong energy out there. This is a win-win-win situation. Households and businesses can win by saving money and strengthen food security by putting more food into the marketplace and wasting less.” says Roe.

Ohio State University will be holding a webinar on August 26th to address the issue and provide information to consumers on ways to reduce their own food waste.