Food Waste Research Paper

The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, is a book about American dietary traditions, and the food quandary American’s encounter in today’s society. Pollan presents various philosophical points to entice his readers to question their current eating habits. Further, Pollan attempts to help readers determine the resolution to the long-standing question: “What will I fix for dinner?” by exploring the diverse food routes available to modern-day man and by dissecting those paths to reveal the best for well-being, solidity, and sustainability. Pollan initiates the book by examining the dilemma of the omnivore, a beast with infinite options for eating.

Essay 1 Every year about a third of what the world produces is wasted. This equates to 2.9 trillion pounds of food. The wastage comes from our homes, restaurants, and even the farmers who produce it. Food wastage is an epidemic with dangerous outcomes; from deforestation to the draining of our fresh-water bodies, the population is in trouble.

The author of American Wasteland, Jonathan Bloom, uses many techniques to steer readers in his direction. Bloom talks about a big issue concerning American in 2010 and is still an issue today in 2016, six years after he wrote this book. As a result of broad research, the main issue today is expiration dates and how state regulations and laws promote food waste (Linnekin). As other books, articles, and documentaries explain this issue they use evidence, positive and negative connotations, and bias to connect with a general audience or supporters.

Jonathan Bloom, in his book American Wasteland, raises some hightailing issues and resolutions that are geared towards the American culture of food waste. The food waste in America today is ever so present in households across the nation that a “quarter of the food squandered would provide three meals a day for 43 million people” (Bloom 47). Taking those numbers into consideration, Americans need to make some radical decisions in changing the way they consume food and ways in discarding the leftovers. Bloom brings up reoccurring phrases in his book in order to get his messages across to readers. Three key phrases that stand out in Blooms’ writing to discuss and argue his message are food insecurity, redistribution, and guerrilla giving.

The article, “Food Waste Is Becoming Serious Economic and Environmental Issue, Report Says,” by Ron Nixon, talks about food waste and of plans on how to stop it. Specifically, Nixon argues that there are millions of people all over the country that don’t have enough to eat. Also that there are people that go to bed hungry most days, while others are throwing away extra scraps they didn’t eat. Nixon writes about the tons of food thrown in the trash every week, resulting in economic and environmental issues. Also about how the Earth’s landfills then get filled up with even more garbage.

This lack of food correlates to deindustrialization and employment loss, which creates brownfields and food deserts. Gottlieb showed his readers how food connects people and increases economy and sustainability, showing that food is more than just the nutrients for the human body but also the nutrients for society. Before this semester, I did not know the true power of food. I really enjoyed Gottlieb’s article because it suited as a nice introduction for someone who did not have a deep understanding of food justice. I found the connection between this article and Dr. Vandana Shiva’s lecture very powerful to how I view society currently.

Jonathan Bloom authored a book about food waste in America called, American Wasteland. Bloom describes societal norms and values that contribute to food waste. Bloom is successful in getting his message across by effectively using phrases such as “food insecurity”, “cultural waste”, and “cultural shift” to highlight the severity of the issue, challenge societal norms, and encourage readers to act. Bloom uses the phrase “food insecurity” to describe the lack of access to enough food for an active and healthy life for some Americans.

The three essays assigned this week had several common threads running through them. The strongest core theme is the rapid change in the food cycle in America and the vast changes that have taken place in the way by which we grow, produce, and process the food that average Americans eat. The food we eat now is drastically different from what our grandparents grew up eating and the three essays each examine that in a different way. Another theme is the loss of knowledge by the average consumer about where their food comes from, what it is composed of, and what, if any, danger it might pose to them. “Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear” by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele is a harsh look at the realities of food production in a country where large corporations, like Monsanto, have been allowed to exploit laws and loopholes to bend farmers and consumers to their

In the article "This apple could have been saved" by Kristen Lewis, (and reporter Adee Braun) the author explains some ways food gets wasted every year in America. One way food gets wasted is because when the food in a store doesn 't look perfect for some people, they won 't buy it. This results in the food being thrown away by the store. This is important because it shows that it 's our faults for being too picky with our choices, and now we have to live with the consequences. One way to reduce the food waste that we produce would be to eat the uglier produce.

One serious problem that poor, urban cities face is the lack of available healthy and nutritious food in their areas. With little to no access to wholesome food, city dwellers around the country are forced to consume extremely low-quality and unhealthy food on a daily basis. However, there are many different ways that we can fix this issue and they are not as difficult as people think. Also, fixing these problems are very beneficial for not alone urban city dwellers, but also grocery stores themselves. One way to solve the problem of not having access to healthy food options is for chain grocery stores to open up in urban areas.

In the US, 40% of food produced, or approximately 365 million pounds of food, is wasted each day. Food waste, however, is a problem that extends beyond America, affecting billions of people as a global issue. The overwhelming amounts of food that are being discarded contribute to global warming and climate change, and prevent the massive number of hungry people from being able to eat nourishing meals. Humanity as a whole must be more mindful of the Earth and its health, as we are the source which most directly affect it. Due to the profound environmental impacts of food waste, a reduction in the amount disposed is necessary to create a more sustainable environment, and humans have a responsibility to protect the planet, even if it requires drastic changes to the current food system.

$ 31 billion worth of food is trashed every year in Canada. We on average throw out 1 in 5 bags of groceries. Many commercial companies and our government are ignoring this problem while the rest of the world has started to take action. Behind a Walmart store there is roughly 12 bins of consumable food thrown out. Not into the compost but into the garbage.

This type of organic food that is popular among many people is produced on organic farms. Farms belonging to this group foster recycling, speak for promotion of ecological balance concept and represent the direction of conserving environment. The process of growing organic food implies refusal from use of synthetic pesticides as well as other chemical stuff that increases fertility. According to the Food Marketing Institute, “Organic livestock must have access to the outdoors and be given no antibiotics or growth hormones” (Natural And Organic Foods).

Food can be bought and wasted because of the ample amounts bought. Although, one may not give to the poor people of the world, food can be gone to compost, or can be used to make new food. Many belittle the fact that food waste is harmful to society. The first article, “U.S. throws away half of all food produce” By Suzanne Goldenberg explains how Fresh produce is often wasted in fields,warehouses,supermarkets,restaurants,and refrigerators. The second article, “How Norway is selling out-of-date food to help tackle waste” By Daniel Boffey shows A supermarket in Norway which is dedicated to selling expired and old food.

The world is experiencing a dilemma today. Many people suffer from hunger, malnutrition, and other problems caused by the lack of sufficient food. However, many other people buy or order excessive foods and waste a lot. In my community, food waste is much more serious than food shortage, and it is easy to see that people throw foods in the dustbin and the foods indeed are still eatable. Food waste is a serious problem.