The Dirty Facts On Food Waste

Every consumer has a responsibility to take action to reduce food waste.

America is faced with a multi-billion dollar food waste problem, which has far-reaching impacts on our society. Although one in seven Americans is left food-insecure, wholesome food that can feed these families in need is still being sent to landfills. Land, water, labor, and other energy inputs are exhausted in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing of food, of which 40% will not serve a purpose, be discarded and otherwise wasted.

 
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40%

The percentage of food produced in the United States that goes uneaten.

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52 million tons

The amount of food sent to the landfill annually, 10 million tons of which is discarded or left unharvested on farms.

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$218 billion

The annual spend to grow, process, transport and dispose of food in the United States.

Uneaten food is the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste.

This is why a huge part of Transition Sarasota’s work is focused on conserving local, natural resources and acting on simple, agile community-driven solutions to mitigate staggering food waste.

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Why We Glean

Our Suncoast Gleaning Project drives a food waste prevention strategy by organizing community volunteers to rescue excess produce from area farms and divert it to diverse, food-insecure populations. We think that’s a much better solution than leaving vital resources to rot in the fields.

Get Involved & glean on

Be A Food Waste Warrior

Stay connected on our blog with helpful tips and simple practices that combat food waste and conserve our natural resources.

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Household Food Waste Doesn’t Belong In Landfills. Here’s Why and How You Can Help

With an estimated 43% of the millions of tons of food waste in US landfills coming from households, it's high time food waste reduction and diversion became a household norm.

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