Household Food Discards and Implications.

We human beings are facing the daunting challenge of feeding the world’s growing population, 7 billion now and 9 billion by 2050, with ample and nutritious food while preserving the health and critical functions of the ecosystems on which all life depends.  Today, 1 in 8 people is undernourished.  Even in the United States, the land of plenty, nearly 49 million people including 16 million children live in food-insecure households.  Tremendous amounts of resources, renewable and nonrenewable, monetary and intellectual, public and private, have been spent on enhancing the output of food production systems.  Here, we call attention to a low-hanging fruit – the opportunity to reduce post-harvest food losses, particularly at the consumption stage.  Recent national and global estimates reveal that roughly 1/3 of all edible food produced for human consumption is wasted, with consumer-level food waste contributing the largest share along the food supply chain.  However, research and data on factors contributing to and variables influencing consumer food waste behavior are extremely limited.  In the current study, we will present the results from a pilot study assessing the quantity of kitchen food discards (edible vs. inedible) and its nutrition profile and assess the environmental footprint and costs of resources associated with the production and provision of foods and food waste.  Such information is needed to help develop strategies and policies directed toward enhanced food security and sustainability.