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Hey, who wasted all this food? How Twin Cities households toss out nearly $100 a month

Food waste is a growing problem in the United States. So what can we do about it?

July 11, 2014 at 4:03PM

The Wedge Natural Foods Co-Op in Minneapolis offers shoppers a wide variety of fresh produce. ] JIM GEHRZ ‚Ä¢ jgehrz@startribune.com / Minneapolis, MN / May 8, 2014 / 10:00 AM / BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Target and Wal-Mart both announced an expansion of their assortment of organic and natural foods and products last month. Experts are wondering if increased demand will lower prices, but several hurdles remain. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Food waste? Don't blame us. At least that's the sentiment of a majority of Americans, according to a survey released this week by Harris Poll. The survey found that 63 percent of consumers are concerned about food waste—making it a bigger issue for them than pollution and climate change—but only 34 percent believe it to be an issue in their homes.

Here's the thing: It is. Just look in your trash can/compost bin.

As a June report by the Committee on World Food Security notes, there are a number of serious issues that affect food waste at every stage of its life, including harvesting, processing, storage, transporation, packaging, retail, and consumption. Yet here in the States, food waste at the consumption level—when people discard it in their homes or during foodservice—accounts for 60 percent of total food loss.

The Food Policy Research Center at the U of M released a report in April outlining some of the problems with food loss and waste in the United States. Among the key findings:

How much food do we waste in the Twin Cities? According to Eureka Recycling, more than 31 percent of Minnesota's waste is food and non-recyclable paper. The organization's most recent data shows that, on average, Twin Citians waste about $96 worth of food every month.

Nearly $100. That's enough to invest in the next Twitter. Or to buy a cheap kayak. Or to magically turn into $52,000 in 20 years... Or, more realistically, to help feed the 842 million people who don't get enough to eat every day, and to help provide food for a planet expected to grow to 9 billion by 2050.