Wasted: the story of food waste (2018)
The issue of food waste is presented in light of the statistics: forty percent of food produced for human consumption in the US goes to waste; over ninety percent of this amount will end up in the landfill, where the waste produces methane gas - a greenhouse gas - in an anaerobic process as no oxygen is able to get to the material to decompose it; the cost of food waste is $1 trillion annually; and that there is still a global problem of human hunger despite the food that goes to waste. Food activists, including chefs, some of the celebrity variety, discuss the issue largely in context of the Environmental Protections Agency's (EPA) food pyramid which lists the preferred priority for the food produced (in order): that it reach humans for consumption; that it be used for animal/livestock feed; that it be converted into energy in the form of compost and/or something that can be used or converted for use, such as into electricity. They discuss the measures that some individuals, organizations and businesses have implemented, they all recognizing that problems exist all along the chain, from production, to distribution, to storage, to consumption, to disposal. Some also recognize that a large part of the problem is defining what waste is, where, for example, forty percent of the biomass of a cauliflower plant is commercially sold for human consumption while closer to one hundred percent can be consumed by humans.
Run time: 90 minutes
Film rating: PG (due to some coarse language)
FOOD WASTE AND SUSTAINABILITY RESOURCES
Additional Resources – Food Wastage (for Wasted)
Other Documentaries
A Place at The Table
This documentary, directed by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush, focuses on the plights of three food-insecure Americans. It walks you through their days and emphasizes struggles they face during mealtimes. According to the film, one out of every two American kids will be on food assistance at some point, and about 50 million Americans rely on charitable food programs. “A Place at the Table” highlights that issues caused by hunger can be alleviated if Americans recognize that ending hunger should be a priority. The film, which is available for rent on Amazon, is “a shocking indictment of how people are starving in the land of plenty,” according to a Rotten Tomatoes review.
How to Feed the World
Looking for a short film that sums up many of the problems relating to food access and food insecurity that we are currently facing? “How to Feed the World,” directed by Denis van Waerebeke, should be on your list. The 10-minute film, which was originally created for viewers between ages nine and 14 and can be viewed for free on Vimeo, uses colorful graphics to explain how globalization and trade influence which foods are available in different regions of the globe. Though distributing food to malnourished people in poorer countries may help temporarily, this act can actually cause more harm to local economies, perpetuating further problems, the film argues. “How to Feed the World” urges members of Earth to work together to eat more sustainably to create a lasting solution. It recommends for individuals to make a difference by eating more plant-based products.
Taste the Waste
Are you having a hard time picturing how much food goes to waste? “Taste the Waste,” directed by Valentin Thurn, will provide you with a more complete understanding of the quantity of food being thrown away, much of which is still edible. 90 million tons of food are thrown away in the European Union per year, including 3 million tons of bread, according to the film. The camera pans over dumpsters filled with “old” bakery items and trucks bursting with “insufficient” vegetables. It describes how technology is used to discard tomatoes solely based on their colors, and explains how “the food thrown away in Europe and North America would be enough to feed all hungry people in the world three times over.” “Taste the Waste,” which you can watch on YouTube, is a testament to how much good food is actually being wasted, and perhaps inspiration to be more mindful before discarding “bad” food.
Just Eat It
What do you get when two filmmakers, Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin, realize the consequences of food waste? A documentary that details our “systematic obsession with expiry dates, perfect produce, and portion sizes,” according to the film’s website. “Just Eat It” tracks Rustemeyer and Baldwin’s lives as they survive off foods that were designated for the trash. This film, which is funny and entertaining in addition to being an “eye-opener,” according to reviews, will likely make you reconsider how you examine produce in the grocery store. “Just Eat It” is available for rent on Amazon and YouTube. Additionally, Rustemeyer was the keynote speaker at FRN’s National Food Recovery Dialogue – another reason to watch this incredible film!
Ten Stories About Food Waste
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdlVJ1T2D7Y
One-third of all the food the world produces ends up in the bin.* Some 70% of our business is related to food, and we feel we must engage in this global issue. With this documentary, Electrolux brings together key food experts weighing on the present and the future of sustainable food choices. The documentary, consisting of 10 chapters, has been created as part of the Electrolux Group’s community support efforts to inspire sustainable food consumption and cooking habits among consumers and professionals. It brings together some of the biggest names in food, such as star chef Dan Barber, urban-farming pioneer Anastasia Cole Plakias, and food-tech specialist Johan Jörgensen, to weigh in on the state of food – from freezers and bycatch to bite-sized solutions and global challenges.
Literature
1. Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan takes back the “single most important thing [to] do as a family to improve our health and well-being”: cooking. A poetic exploration of the beauty and simplicity of preparing food, this book will help readers get off the couch and into the kitchen.
2. VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good by Mark Bittman
Mark Bittman delves into the benefits – to the environment, to personal health, and to the economy – of reducing meat consumption. Without forbidding or condemning meat, this is a great book for the environmentally-conscious omnivore.
3. Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food by Frederick Kaufman
Bet the Farm starts with an unnerving statistic: in 2008, “farmers produced more grain than ever, enough to feed twice as many people as were on Earth. In the same year… a billion people went hungry.” Kaufman delves into the problems with our food system and uncovers the financial underpinnings that motivate this dysfunctional system.
4. Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America by Wenonah Hauter
A farmer from Virginia and an advocate for healthy eating, Hauter explores the “corporate, scientific, industrial, and political” aspects of our food system in an effort to understand the problems with mainstream production and distribution systems, and how to fix them in order to incorporate healthy, mindful eating.
5. Behind the Kitchen Door by Saru Jayaraman
Exploring the food system from a different angle, Jayaraman points to the deeply troubling labor practices that exist in the food industry. With personal stories and interviews, Jayaraman unveils the low wages and grueling positions that farm and kitchen workers endure.
6. The Last Hunger Season: A Year In An African Farm Community On The Brink Of Change by Roger Thurow
Thurow spent a year with four women smallholder farmers in western Kenya to document their struggles in supporting and feeding themselves and their families. He evaluates the extent to which the work of initiatives like the One Acre Fund can help these farmers pull themselves up and defeat hunger and poverty.
Focusing on food waste in the United States, this book takes the issue beyond big farms and corporations to a very personal level. A great introduction to the ways that our own actions are impacting the food system, and what we can do about it.
8. The Urban Food Revolution: Changing the Way We Feed Cities by Peter Ladner
According to the World Health Organization, more than half of the world’s population now lives in cities. The Urban Food Revolution looks at the ways in which urban food systems need to change in order to become healthier and more sustainable
Anna Lappe’s Diet for a Hot Planet outlines the ways in which the current food system contributes to climate change, the barriers to a true reform, and what consumers can do to provoke change.
10. WASTE: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristram Stuart
Uncovering waste in production and processing, the role of supermarkets in passing on wastefulness to suppliers and consumers, and consumers’ wasteful practices at home, Stuart’s book explores the many pathways of waste that exist in our food system. Even better, his book provides examples of countries where the food system is working, and offers tips on reducing and reusing our food.
The Backyard Homestead tells would-be farmers how to farm on just a quarter of an acre.
Sharpless argues that seafood will be the best source of sustainable protein for a rapidly growing global population. And he highlights the importance of protecting the health and biodiversity of wild fish populations.
13. The Essential Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter and Willow Rosenthal
For those without a backyard, the Essential Urban Farmer is the essential tutorial to begin growing food in cities.
14. https://fivebooks.com/best-books/tristram-stuart-on-the-global-food-scandal/
Policy/Initiatives Canada
