A lot of waste!

13 December

Here’s the funny from Friday again … Nobody starves in America. People in America die from over eating.  The reason for repeating it is that me old mate Bill H, has pointed out that there is a difference between starving and obesity in that the obese are so visible, whereas the starving are not. As it was I having second thoughts on the funny anyway. You may know that there is a current campaign on the go here in the UK to cut down on waste all over the country.

Part of it is the amount of food that gets thrown out. From what I have seen myself I know that pubs and so waste a heck of lot. I mentioned last Sunday when I had a gammon while we were in the Crows Nest, and couldn’t finish it all. And that wasn’t the only time that has happened either. When was the last time you bought a fish supper and couldn’t finish it? That is why (with many a fight when I walk past the best chippy in Dorktown), I don’t go for it; that and the weight issue of course. The only place where I see very little waste here is in the KFC, Burger King and McDonalds. So what of funny above.

I’ve been aware that across the pond there is even more waste than here in the UK. We shouldn’t be surprised about that simply because there are a lot more people living there. Now, here’s a quote from a website I found …

losses in food service

According to the USDA, households and food service operations (restaurants, cafeterias, fast food, and caterers) together lost 86 billion pounds of food in 2008, or 19 percent of the total U.S. retail-level food supply. Approximately 4 to 10 percent of food purchased by restaurants becomes kitchen loss, both edible and inedible, before reaching the consumer.57

Another significant portion is served but never eaten. Other drivers of waste in food service include large portions, inflexibility of chain-store management, and pressure to maintain enough food supply to offer extensive menu choices at all times.58

In addition, staff behavior and kitchen culture can contribute to food waste. Plate waste is a significant contributor to losses in food service, resulting primarily from large portions and undesired accompaniments. On average, diners leave 17 percent of meals uneaten59 and 55 percent of these potential leftovers are not taken home.60

Portion sizes have increased significantly over the past 30 years. From 1982 to 2002, the average pizza slice grew 70 percent in calories, the average chicken caesar salad doubled in calories, and the average chocolate chip cookie quadrupled.61 Today, portion sizes can be two to eight times larger than USDA or FDA standard. (https://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-ip.pdf)

As here in the UK, the same in the States and there is no excuse for it anywhere at all. All that waste from restaurants and so on should and can be used to feed those who can’t afford to buy all the food they need; read that bit again please, CAN’T AFFORD TO BUY THE FOOD THEY NEED. I make no apology for the emphases there. People shout and scream about ending world hunger, yet there really is enough food go around. What is really needed is the political will to push producers and retailors into better planning and resourcing as well as being more generous with what they don’t actually sell. Morrisons have caught on at last, time for the other larger chains to do the same.   

All it needs on our part is for each of us to accept that we don’t need to eat so much as perhaps we currently do. I can honestly say that since that show on telly a few weeks ago, we have cut down on how much we buy and how much does actually get wasted, which is now very little. Of course there will be a second pay-off – we will eventually feel a lot better for it too. So come on, who’s up for it?    

             

Today’s photo … Well, it has to be food related eh … 

on display at Brum Market.

Today’s funny …

A lawyer runs a stop sign and gets pulled over by a sheriff. He thinks he's smarter being a big shot lawyer from New York and has a better education than an sheriff from West Virginia. The sheriff asks for license and registration. The lawyer asks, "What for?" The sheriff responds, "You didn't come to a complete stop at the stop sign." The lawyer says, "I slowed down and no one was coming." "You still didn't come to a complete stop. License and registration please," say the sheriff impatiently. The lawyer says, "If you can show me the legal difference between slow down and stop, I'll give you my license and registration and you can give me the ticket. If not, you let me go and don't give me the ticket." The sheriff says, "That sounds fair, please exit your vehicle." The lawyer steps out and the sheriff takes out his nightstick and starts beating the lawyer with it. The sheriff says, "Do you want me to stop or just slow down?"