Welcome

We Americans are pretty wasteful. And much of what we squander is food.

America throws away an estimated 40 to 50 percent of all the food it produces. That more than $100 billion of food a year. Equally important, there are millions of hungry Americans (more than 38 million) who could put some of that to use. Wasted food affects our culture, economy and environment. And when food remains are sent to landfills, we’re squandering a potential source of energy (I’ll talk more about that later).

I became interested in this topic when I saw just how much edible food–previously bound for the dumpster–a Washington, D.C. homeless shelter recovered from restaurants and institutions. Then I realized how much food wasn’t saved. As a journalist, I began to do some digging. More than a year later, I’m now doing research for a book on the topic. 

In the coming months, I’ll be keeping this blog as a companion to my explorations. I aim to make this site a way to follow a work-in-progress book project. Stop by anytime to read the latest anecdotes, data and revelations. And I hope you’ll feel free to comment and participate. Otherwise, it’d be a real waste.