"Food Waste is Becoming Serious Economic and Environmental Issue, Report Says"
By Ron Nixon
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February 25, 2015
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Food waste is becoming a very serious problem, economically and environmentally. There are millions of households that struggles to get food while there are millions of tons of food being tossed away by the families that are more well off. The food thrown away by the more diverse countries are enough to feed all of the world's 870 million hungry people. Reports estimates that one-third of the food produced around the world is never consumed. That wasted food can have a total cost of up to $400 million a year. As the world's population grows, the more food will be wasted. It is estimated that by 2030, the consumer food waste will cost $600 million a year.
The environment can also be seriously affected by food waste. In order to get the food processed, refrigerated and transported, fuel is burned, causing climate changes. A lot of the food thrown away are being dumped in landfills and as it decomposes, it releases a greenhouse gas, methane. The more food we throw away the more methane we will release into the air. 3.3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases are being emitted annually. We are trying to find ways to solve this problem, but it can't be done alone.
I chose this article because I myself tend to throw away uneaten or expired food and I wanted to know what happens to the food that I throw away. I thought it was interesting, and sad, that the food we throw away are what people in poverty needed. I was aware of the starvation of millions but I never thought it was to this extent. I also thought that it was unbelievable how much money we waste by throwing away so much food. It's crazy. I will try to eat all of my food, thinking that someone else out there will be so happy to have something to eat.
The environment can also be seriously affected by food waste. In order to get the food processed, refrigerated and transported, fuel is burned, causing climate changes. A lot of the food thrown away are being dumped in landfills and as it decomposes, it releases a greenhouse gas, methane. The more food we throw away the more methane we will release into the air. 3.3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases are being emitted annually. We are trying to find ways to solve this problem, but it can't be done alone.
I chose this article because I myself tend to throw away uneaten or expired food and I wanted to know what happens to the food that I throw away. I thought it was interesting, and sad, that the food we throw away are what people in poverty needed. I was aware of the starvation of millions but I never thought it was to this extent. I also thought that it was unbelievable how much money we waste by throwing away so much food. It's crazy. I will try to eat all of my food, thinking that someone else out there will be so happy to have something to eat.