Do you think we throw away too much food?

1. 90

   Diana Grantposted 12 years ago

   Do you think we throw away too much food?
   
   And are supermarket "sell-by" and "use-by" dates a bit of a con to encourage us to buy more food, and throw out perfectly edible stuff? Are you worried about exceeding these dates, or do you just use them as a guideline, but no more?
   
   Have you been ill because you re-cooked chicken? If so, has it stopped you?
   
   Have your habits changed during the recession? If they stuck to the rules, how would poor people such as beggars and the homeless fare - would these people relax the health rules a bit, and, if so, would they necessarily become ill from food poisoning?

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2. 68

   Adamowenposted 12 years ago

   For sure the use-by sell-by dates are being used to make us purchase more product! They are needed obviously to give some guidelines for us to evaluate the foods freshness and for the staff to keep shelves organized. I often test the food if it has gone past the use-by date it takes seconds and could save you from food poisoning or some other form of bacteria infection. I always check for the eggs that are on the quick sell shelf. I get them a day after the sell-by date for usually 75% cheaper. They are perfectly fine eggs and I've never been ill after 3 years of doing this.
   
   So the answer to the main question is, YES we throw away food like there is no tomorrow.

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3. 77

   ARSHAD MAJIDposted 12 years ago

   I would stick to the main question only-- I think wastage of food is one of the main reasons for famine and malnourished kids in many parts of the World today. I think that a more effective campaign should be started in rich countries to make them realize how much food and other resources are wasted in their societies.
   
   I would like to list some statistics to shed some light over the topic:
   
   Americans throw out 200,000 tons of edible food daily and consume 25% more food than needed.
   
   The average american uses 370 times more energy than an average  Ethiopian.
   
   Being a Muslim I feel lucky that in our religion throwing food into garbage or wasting it by other means is considered as a serious sin. Muhammad (PBUH) said that "you should not waste water even if you are washing by the side of a natural stream". Wastage of any of the blessings of God is a great sin because someone at the end of the chain will be left without it-- only because of our wastage.

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4. 60

   eatforcheaperposted 12 years ago

   Yes, I do. Too much food is gone to waste yet authorities don't want to give that extra food to those who need it due to potential "threats" of being sued! Please check out my article about this issue. I just wrote it last week: http://eatforcheaper.hubpages.com/hub/F … tern-World

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5. 77

   Silva Hayesposted 11 years ago

   Yes, absolutely, we throw away too much food.  My habits have certainly changed due to the recession.  I have become much more diligent in the last couple of years; I force myself to be more aware of all the food in the refrigerator and think of ways to use it up before the sell-by date.  I do things like save the peels and ends of carrots, celery, leeks, onions, etc., and make our own vegetable broth.  I stretch the food out and make it go further.  I immediately freeze leftovers instead of allowing them to sit in the refrigerator for days and then get thrown out. 
   
   When I was a child, the farmers came into town with their wagons and drove through the alleys of downtown, collecting the scraping from the plates of restaurants.  They took it home to feed their pigs.  That practice stopped many years ago.  Some restaurants serve huge portions of food.  I often can't eat even half of what is served to me.  Recently my husband asked for a small omelet and one sausage pattie, and it looked like the omelet they served him was a four-egg omelet and two patties on the side.  Most of it was wasted. 
   
   I think the way to help others is to cut down on the quantity of food we prepare, whether we are an individual or a restaurant, and then donate the money we save.

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