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Policy&Practice
October 2015
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is lost or wasted globally, which
amounts to about . billion tons per
year.” In industrialized and medium-
and high-income nations, like the
United States, waste is more strongly
related to consumer buying habits and
breakdowns in the supply chain. FAO
lists farmer–buyer sales agreements,
cosmetic standards, confusion about
sell-by dates, and consumer care-
lessness as factors that contribute to
high amounts of food waste. The U.S
Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)
Economic Research Service estimates
that between
and
percent of
food is lost—totaling $ billion in
. Such waste greatly exacerbates
resource consumption, methane gas
production, and food insecurity.
Simon didn’t have to look far from
the campus to see where discarded
food could have gone to use. Many of
the surrounding areas in Maryland—
Prince George’s and Montgomery
counties—as well as the Northeast
and Southeast quadrants of
Washington, D.C., are classified as
“food deserts.” The USDA Agricultural
Marketing Service defines food
deserts as “urban neighborhoods and
rural towns without ready access to
fresh, healthy, and a ordable food.”
Additionally, Feeding America’s “Map
the Meal Gap
” report found
that nearly one in three children in
Washington, D.C. are food insecure—
the household-level economic and
social condition of limited or unsure
access to adequate food.
For Simon “it was a no-brainer to say
‘ok look, there are local organizations
trying to fight hunger right down the
street from [UMD] … let’s get this good
food to hungry people.’ ”
In
, the UMD students decided
to start the Food Recovery Network
(FRN) to recover perishable food from
Lisa Dupree
is
a Summer 2015
marketing and
communications
intern for APHSA.
What FoodWaste
Looks Like in America
Imperfect sells farm produce to
consumers after it has been rejected
by supermarkets and restaurants
because of “unnatural” appearance.
This, despite the looks having no
affect on taste. Among the produce it
offers are carrots deemed too crooked
(above), misshapen pears (left), and
Pink Lady apples that have too small a
diameter (below).
Photos courtesy of Imperfect