At a time when so many of us are thinking about those "less fortunate than us" -- and how in the world we can possibly help them ...
Americans are still breaking our own records, in our "just throwing it out" wasteful ways ...
Watch John Oliver's Sobering Look at U.S. Food Waste
by Ryan Reed, RollingStone -- July 20, 2015
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According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, "as much as 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. never gets eaten" and "Americans throw away $165 billion worth of food every year," roughly "20 pounds per person every month." That's enough waste to annually fill 730 football stadiums. How is that possible in a country where so many go hungry? A recent USDA report found that "in 2013, 49.1 million people lived in food-insecure households."
"At a time when the landscape of California is shriveling up like a pumpkin in front of a house with a lazy dad, it seems especially unwise that farmers are pumping water into food that ends up being used as a garnish for landfills," Oliver cracks.
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"Small businesses should get tax incentives to donate food, so we have to find a way to pass that," Oliver says. "But even if we do, it will be one small part of what needs to be a much bigger solution -- from resolving to eat uglier fruit to taking expiration dates with a pinch of salt [...]
How big is a football stadiums, anyways? THAT much food -- could fill more than a few "food-insecure" tables.
Here are some more disturbing resource-wasteful facts that go along with our "when in doubt -- throw it out" consumerism ...
John Oliver blasts food waste in America on 'Last Week Tonight'
by Nardine Saad, latimes.com -- July 20, 2015
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"Watching all that food go from farm to not-a-table is awful for a bunch of reasons. First, and most obviously, there are many people in this country who need that food," he said, citing more statistics about food-insecure households. "It is crazy that that is happening in a country with 730 football stadiums of uneaten food. It's insane."
He also noted other, less obvious consequences, such as wasting all the labor and natural resources that go into making the edibles and noting its effect on California's water troubles. Oliver added that landfills become just as problematic because the decomposing conditions can create methane gas, which is hurting the planet and contributing to climate change.
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"For businesses, donating food is genuinely expensive. ... There's a lot of overheads. And you cannot fault companies for caring about their bottom line," he said. "Companies, in their defense, are not charities, which is why they should be incentivized to donate food with tax breaks. Large corporations already get one, but annoyingly, that same break for small businesses is not a permanent part of the tax code, meaning that Congress has to keep renewing it and that's a problem. ... It's a ridiculous system, which probably prevents a lot of food from being donated."
Oliver then brought up a piece of legislation that reflected just how messed up the system has become, saying, in February, the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act (HR 644) was proposed in the House of Representatives to make that tax break permanent. By the time it passed in the House, it had been bundled together with other breaks and retitled the America Gives More Act. When it got to the Senate, where it was ultimately passed, the language to prevent food waste had been removed and replaced with language about border control and U.S.-Israeli relations. It was then retitled the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act.
"It's like going to restaurant, ordering a veggie burger and having the waiter say, 'Here you go, we made it out of meatloaf and we call it a waffle.' And then, you can't even say, 'Well, I don't want this, give it to someone who needs it,' because they can't because they don't know whether or not they'll get a ... [f-n] tax credit for it."
If you haven't seen it yet -- it is definitely worth a watch.
And even if you have ... it might be worth watching again.
Obligatory crude-language warning ...
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Food Waste (HBO)
video link
What a 'for crying out loud' waste ... of perfectly good food.
Only in America ... and those other countries that aspire to be like us, it seems ... where nothing ever seems to go to waste -- except for prime opportunities to help those in "actual need."