TUCSON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A U.S. researcher has found that Americans waste almost half its food production.
Timothy W. Jones, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona, has spent 10 years measuring U.S. food losses. He discovered that edible food is discarded in large amounts and even a partial recovery could save U.S. consumers tens of billions of dollars each year.
In addition, he said, cutting food waste could go a long way toward reducing serious environmental problems. Jones estimates reducing food waste by half could reduce adverse environmental impacts by 25 percent through decreased landfill use, soil depletion and applications of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
Jones said there are three ways most people can significantly reduce their own food waste: plan purchases carefully, devise menus and make up grocery lists accordingly; know what lurks in the refrigerator and pantry that needs to be used while it is still useable, and understand that many kinds of food can be refrigerated or frozen and eaten later.
Nationwide, he said, household food waste alone adds up to $43 billion, making it a serious economic problem.
