I attended the 8th annual Organics Recycling Summit yesterday in Massachusetts. It was a useful conference that focused on how to prevent food waste from going to landfills. Lots on composting and, my favorite, anaerobic digestion.
Among other things, I learned more about the impressive Massachusetts Supermarket Recycling Program, in which almost half the states’ grocery stores participate.
But most interesting, to me, was a throwaway comment by one of the presenters. In a presentation on composting and climate change, the woman mentioned how growing up, she’d been told ‘If you don’t eat your liver, it’ll go to the starving children.’
I’ve heard a few variations on the “Clean your Plate” ethos, but this was a new kind of guilt-to-avoid-waste strategy: Don’t force your unwanted food (liver) on the already unfortunate.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find out if this person was forced to leave her dessert for the starving children.