Category Archives: International

A Cucumber’s Tale

This Wall Street Journal video provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the journey to bring Indian produce from farms to consumers. In making this vicarious trip along the supply chain, we glimpse some less-than-ideal handling practices. From unrefrigerated (and often uncovered) transport to bumpy roads to poor storage, the video illustrates the differences between the food […]

January 14, 2013 | Also posted in Storage | Comments closed

Half Wasted: Headline Review

In reporting yesterday’s big news that 30 to 50% of global food isn’t eaten, many headline writers focused on the higher figure. Here’s a quick roundup to see how various media organizations approached that age-old battle: attention vs. accuracy Misleading Huffington Post UK Los Angeles Times Australian Broadcasting Company The Globe and Mail Daily Mail […]

January 11, 2013 | Also posted in Stats | Comments closed

Wasting No Time Analyzing New Waste Study

The Institute of Mechanical Engineers just released a major study on global food waste. It’s always exciting to see further research on food waste come to light and Global Food: Waste Not, Want Not is no exception. Its major finding is that 30 to 50% of the world’s food never reaches human stomachs. The lower figure isn’t […]

January 10, 2013 | Also posted in Stats | Comments closed

Fresh From the Garbage

If this video doesn’t make you want to go dumpster diving, I doubt anything will. Waste Cooking is an Austrian reality show that began airing on television in December (episodes are also online minus the subtitles). Divers hunt and gather what treasures they can from the trash and hold public cooking demonstrations to tempt passersby […]

January 7, 2013 | Also posted in Freegan | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Since food prices are set to increase in 2013, it’s the perfect time to cut waste to keep your food costs steady. The Globe and Mail concurs. Meanwhile, that article contains the astounding fact that “Canadian households waste 38 per cent of their food purchased in store and restaurants.” Whoa. — — This Pittsburgh Post-Gazette […]

January 4, 2013 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, Household, Supermarket | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

The NRDC is at it again, this time publishing an issue brief on fruit and vegetable loss at the farm and packing level. Hot off the press! — — Here are a few Big Facts: 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted globally every year. That equates to 6-10% of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. — […]

December 14, 2012 | Also posted in College, Composting, Environment, Stats | Comments closed

Leftover Love from High Above

The UK Environment Secretary is a cabinet member and holds duties similar to the US Secretary of Agriculture and the head of the EPA. So when Environment Secretary Owen Paterson talks about the need to use our leftovers, my ears perk up. In a speech launching a sustainable food initiative with the Women’s Institute, Paterson […]

December 10, 2012 | Also posted in Leftovers | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Thanks for the tips on avoiding food waste, Dr. Weil! — — There’s an appropriate mood to this fabulous European Union-made video on food waste. Lamenting? Melancholy? Also–awesome disclaimer at the end of the video: “All the food used during the shooting of this clip has been cooked and eaten by the crew.” — — […]

December 7, 2012 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, Waste Stream | Comments closed

A Spot of History

Our friend Kirsten Bourne, marketing director for San Francisco’s Bi-Rite Market, was at a British-themed party recently and came across the tome to the right. She kindly sent me a passage from these instructions for US personnel headed to Britain during World War II. As you can see in the text below, the manual has […]

December 5, 2012 | Also posted in History and Culture | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Beautiful rot? That may or not be an oxymoron, but Joe Buglewicz’s photography series Rotten is worth a look. It’s similar to Klaus Pichler’s fabulous One Third project. — — Feeding the 5,000, that fabulous public event using rescued foods to feed the needy, happened in Dublin this week. Have a look: — — The Dublin […]

November 30, 2012 | Also posted in Food Recovery, Hunger | Comments closed