Food Waste

3D printing technology is disrupting a whole range of industries, from aerospace to the food business. For the latter, the technology might soon tackle food waste, according to a recent story in Digital Trends.

Food waste is as much a problem in restaurants as it is at supermarkets and in the home. Forbes recently ran an article about a new restaurant management system called Tripleseat that is helping eating establishments to reduce food waste.

Many governments, both local and national, across the world ask their citizens to place food waste into separate containers. The idea is that such waste can be processed as compost, keeping it out of landfills where it rots and emits methane, a greenhouse gas.

What if you found out that you could be saving money on your weekly grocery bill while helping to save the environment and world hunger? Sounds too good to be true right? Actually, the solution is simple. All you have to do is produce less food waste.

What Kind of Food System Do We Have Now? A linear economy is one that prioritizes production and profit over all else, ignoring costs accrued in waste, pollution and health impacts. According to a new study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the linear food economy is responsible for USD 5.

Food waste has become an acute problem in the island nation of Singapore. While the country continues to become urbanized, Singapore is literally running out of space for landfills.

Combating food waste can be done by recycling or composting. However, according to Futurism, a startup company in California called Apeel Sciences is using a third way to prevent food waste, which is extending the shelf-life of food so that it doesn't spoil before it can be shipped.

Issues Surrounding Food Waste   Between 33-50% of all food produced globally is wasted --an approximation of over $1 trillion of uneaten food. To compound the issue, along with all the wasted resources that went into the production of this wasted food (land, energy, manufacturing, labor, water, packaging, etc), once this waste hits the landfills, it decomposes, producing methane, a gas that is 23x deadlier than carbon dioxide.

Food waste has been made worse than it should be by inaccurate expiration dates on labels. Manufacturers tend to allow a little leeway in determining a date, meaning that often food is safe to eat past the posted expiration date.

Have you heard of "ugly food"? It's the fruits and vegetables that are deemed not pretty enough for supermarket shelves. Dented vegetables, double-headed carrots, misshapen lemons, blemished melons, etc.