The Progressive Increase of Food Waste in America and its Environmental Impact

Published: 3/1/2018

Increasing concern over global food shortages has led to the need to increase agricultural production and reduce food waste. The subject paper aims to calculate the energy content of nationwide food waste. The technique employed to derive this estimate uses the difference between the US food supply and the food consumed by the population. The difference was arrived at using a mathematical model of metabolism relating body weight to the amount of food eaten. Food waste has steadily increased since 1974 and causes excess consumption of freshwater and fossil fuels. Food waste accounts for over a quarter of the total freshwater consumption and roughly 300 million barrels of oil per year. The increase in food waste may be the result of a ‘‘push effect’’ of increased food availability and marketing. Addressing the oversupply of food energy in the United States can help decrease food waste and its environmental impacts.

Hall, Kevin D., et al. "The progressive increase of food waste in America and its environmental impact." PloS one 4.11 (2009): e7940.