Category Archives: General

Breaking News: ARAMARK Trayless Study Out

ARAMARK studied trayless dining at 25 college campuses and has just published a white paper on its findings. As you’ll see in the press release, food waste decreased by 25 to 30 percent when trays were removed from dining facilities. What’s even more exciting is that the food service provider estimated that more than half […]

July 24, 2008 | Also posted in College, Trayless | Comments closed

Guest Post/Call for Volunteers

Calling all academically inclined dumpster divers… 3.69 billion pounds of seafood to get to the bottom of! As a researcher for fish and seafood issues at Food & Water Watch, I’ve recently begun pondering how food waste is affecting our fish stocks. In the fish world, we’re constantly thinking about the limitations of our wild […]

June 17, 2008 | Posted in General | Comments closed

Tips, please

Don’t worry, I’m not shaking the online tip jar. Instead, I wanted to point your attention to the new “Tips” tab up top. (I know, it’s getting crowded up there!) I’m hoping that the page will become a compilation of readers’ advice on how to avoid food waste. You guys are so smart and have […]

June 11, 2008 | Posted in General | Comments closed

The Weight of Waste

Why remove trays from “all-you-can-eat” cafeterias? To avoid the routine piles of food waste. In April, a student-led campaign at Virginia Tech weighed food waste for a week as a baseline for comparison to a week without trays. What they found, might startle you. Have a look. (Photos courtesy of VT Dietetic Intern Andy Sarjahani, […]

May 22, 2008 | Also posted in College, Trayless | Comments closed

Congratulations, Self

Apologies in advance for the self-indulgence, but Monday was a big day here at Wasted Food. (Welcome, new readers!) First, the “Alpha Consumer” blog over at US News & World Report ran my guest post. Hopefully, it provides some useful advice for avoiding food waste. Then, The NY Times “Well” blog wrote a little somethin’ […]

May 20, 2008 | Posted in General | Comments closed

Boing Boing Responses

Yesterday’s Times article has prompted some spirited discussion in this Boing Boing forum, which is wonderful. And healthy. I contemplated commenting in that forum, but had waaay too much to say. Instead, I’ve compiled some of my reactions to the comments here, with reference to the order of their appearance in the thread: (19) People […]

May 19, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, Farm, Food Recovery, Supermarket, Technology, Waste Stream | Comments closed

NYT Reaction

As many of you know, The New York Times ran a piece Sunday on food waste. For my money, it provided a solid picture of the issue, and I’m not just saying that because I’m quoted in it. Heck, a couple items in the article were news to me. Sure, the article could have used […]

May 18, 2008 | Posted in General | Comments closed

Labor Down, Waste Up

As bemoaned in this editorial, immigration law in Colorado leads to food waste by reducing the number of workers. When there aren’t enough laborers, or “pickers”, the harvest is often squandered (unless it’s not a great year). Commercial orchards resemble the scene underneath your neighbor’s fig tree, as apples, pears, peaches, etc. “go to ground.” […]

May 13, 2008 | Also posted in Farm, International | Comments closed

A Little Housekeeping…

As you’ve hopefully noticed, I’ve spruced up the site a bit. Most notably, there’s a new header design expertly crafted by Ryan Arceneaux. In addition to a few other aesthetic changes, I’ve added a mailing list signup on the sidebar. Those shrewd enough to join the list will receive a monthly roundup and special notifications […]

May 11, 2008 | Posted in General | Comments closed

Loco for Leftovers

People often e-mail to ask how they can reduce their household food waste. One of the easiest ways is to save leftovers. Now, this only cuts waste if you actually eat those leftovers. I love leftovers, especially as the next day’s lunch, but many folks don’t. For you non-leftover lovers, ensuring that they’re consumed means […]

May 7, 2008 | Also posted in Institutional, The Weekly Waste Word | Comments closed