Master strategy to prevent food waste
According to analyses by the data portal “Statista,” the majority of American consumers (extrapolated 157 million persons) stock up with one package of bread per week. But approximately 12 million Americans buy five times that amount over the same period.
The problem is that rarely is the whole package used up; as a rule, some of the bread ends up in the garbage bin. As soon as the slices lose their elasticity and enjoyment value, they are thrown away. Taking the food sector as a whole, about 20% of all the food bought in the United States is disposed of as garbage. That means an average family of four wastes food to a value of $1,500 each year.
This undesirable practice recently brought the U.S. government onto the scene. In September 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, together with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, started an initiative to halve the amount of food wasted within the next 15 years. In order to meet the ambitious specifications of the “first-ever national food waste reduction goal,” the “Food Recovery Challenge” was founded. Through this platform, manufacturers and retail chains can exchange opinions on how to counteract such a waste of food. Mills and bakeries also have been invited to take part. Information on the initiative is available at www.epa.gov.
