Americans throw away as much as 40 percent of their annual food purchases, equivalent to at least $165 billion worth of produce and meats. (File photo)
Americans throw away as much as 40 percent of their annual food purchases, equivalent to at least $165 billion worth of produce and meat while hundreds of millions of people suffer globally from chronic hunger, according to a major US study.
The analytical study released Tuesday by a US environmental group, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), says that the huge waste occurs all the way from farmland to the dinner table at a time when ongoing drought threatens a further surge in food prices, US daily the Washington Post
The report further highlights the inadequate efforts by the US government in devoting resources to identify inefficiencies that lead to the massive waste of food as well as in adopting measures to combat them.
“For now, the relatively low U.S. prices make it easy to toss food, which may explain why the average American family of four ends up trashing the equivalent of up to $2,275 worth of food each year,” says the report.
Such inclinations have worsened over time, according to the report, with the average American throwing away 10 times as much food as a consumer in Southeast Asia, up 50 percent from the 1970s.
NRDC scientist Dana Gunders, who authored the study, says considering such background, it is not surprising that food makes up the largest content of solid waste in US landfills.
“We’re essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path,” she said in a statement. “That’s money and precious resources down the drain.”
According to the study, most of the food wasted by Americans is thrown away in US stores and homes.
US government figures indicate that supermarkets in the country lose $15 billion each year in unsold fruits and vegetables alone. The NRDC, furthermore, insists that a good portion of such huge losses is due to overstocking products by stores to impress their customers.