Landfills Eat Better than Many of the World’s Poor

FAO, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, estimates that 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted every year globally. Given that we have reached a population of 7 billion people, this means that for every person on the globe, 168.83 kilograms (371.43 pounds) of food are wasted every year. One does not need higher education to understand that such a waste is not only inefficient but also an injustice. 1.2 billion people experience malnutrition and famine each year, most of them being children. To give this problem some clarity, every three minutes 700 children die from illnesses induced from famine and malnourishment. If the number of those living with food insecurity (1.2 billion) is alternatively used instead since they could certainly use the food that is wasted, this would mean that the world’s poor watch 984.85 kilograms (2166.67 pounds) of food go to waste every year. Landfills have better diets than the poor.   

According to FAO, industrialized and developing world countries divide evenly between the amounts of food wasted worldwide. Where they differ is in the causes for the food waste.  People in the developing world have food going to waste because of a lack of, or poor infrastructure (roads, markets) and storage capabilities. People in the industrialized world watch food go to waste because of overproduction and cosmetic reasons (particularly with produce) as there are certain expectations how vegetables, food, dairy products look like. Despite the efforts some corporations make to reduce food waste and pass on foods to needy organizations like food banks and other charitable organizations, the pervasive problem of food waste continues as documented in the videos above and below this blog.