Eat Your Leftovers
Tired of taking out the trash? The New York Times would like you to know that it's your own damn fault. According to the most recent Week in Review, 27 percent of all food available for consumption in the U.S. ends up in the garbage. That's about a pound a day per person, which amounts to 30 million tons of food waste per year. Not only does this perpetuate the nutritional disparity between America and poorer nations, but as the Times points out, the methane produced by rotting food also contributes to global warming. So instead of dumping your dinner leftovers, get out that Tupperware and save them for lunch. As food prices continue to rise, your wallet as well as the planet will thank you for it.
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4 Comments:
seriously? people just throw out leftovers, like it never occurred to them to do otherwise? southpark was really dead on with that 'starvin marvin' episode.
protest at 5:38PM on 05/20/08
Rising food prices should hopefully drive people to wasting less food.
wunami at 9:24PM on 05/20/08
i just want to point out that it's not ONLY consumer leftovers contributing to this number. the article states:
"Grocery stores discard products because of spoilage or minor cosmetic blemishes. Restaurants throw away what they don’t use. And consumers toss out everything from bananas that have turned brown to last week’s Chinese leftovers."
i can only imagine how much food waste is generated by the restaurant industry. even with the best planning there has to be a lot.
j at 10:50AM on 05/21/08
We love leftovers at our house! I cook almost every night (I'm retired but my girlfriend works). I truly enjoy cooking, and I've got time on my hands, so it works out well for us. However, Friday nights I go to a nice, long happy hour for a couple of drinks and some conversation. When I get home, my girlfriend is usually still working on her computer, so I check the fridge and see what's left. Then I make a little menu for her, and she selects the leftover. Some nights, when we have a fridge full, we'll invite friends over for a leftover party. It's a great way to use up the leftovers and it's fun to boot!
1stmakearoux at 1:14PM on 05/21/08