LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Most families in the United States toss out an estimated 40 percent of the food they buy. With hundreds of millions of people around the globe going hungry, there's a renewed focus on reducing food waste.

It's a major opportunity to address the growing global demand for food and, in Arkansas and across the nation, to slow the rising cost of groceries.

Huge investments have been made to increase food production, said Professor Jon Foley, director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, but not enough is being done to reduce the amount of food that's being wasted and ends up in landfills.

"We've spent billions and billions of dollars trying to get crops to grow faster, to improve yields - and globally, crop production has only increased about 20 percent in the last 20 years, despite all those efforts," he said. "And here's 40 percent of the world's food that is sitting around rotting."

Much of the 40 percent of food waste in the United States and other wealthy nations occurs along the supply chain, said Foley, being tossed out of home refrigerators, and at restaurants and cafeterias.

"In poor countries, it's also about 30 to 40 percent, but mostly between the farmer and the distributor - that the crop never got to distribution. It rotted in a storage system; it never got to a train or a truck. So, we have these big food waste problems everywhere in the world, but it kind of depends on the context of where you are."

As a consumer, there are a number of ways to reduce food waste, keeping it out of landfills and keeping more money in your pocket, he said. They include using up leftovers and learning how to tell when food goes bad - and it isn't always the "sell-by" or "use-by" date. A change in shopping habits also can help, he added.

"Try to shop a bit more frequently and maybe less volume," he said. "For example, having a small market near your house for things that are more perishable, like milk and eggs, and meat and that kind of thing. And nonperishable stuff - that's where maybe you stock up and say, 'Well, hey, I can buy all the boxes of cereal I want. They're not going to go bad for a long time.'"

The average American family throws away about 20 pounds of food a month, worth $300 to $500 a year, he said, with the biggest losses in meat and seafood.

More information on food waste is online at worldhunger.org and nrdc.org.




get more stories like this via email

A new program in Indiana will ensure year-round access to nutritious meals for students statewide.

The Summer Electronic Transfer program provides a one-time $120 payment for school-aged children on an EBT card. The card can be used at grocery stores, farmers markets and other retailers.

Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana's Hungry, said history shows programs such as SUN Bucks are effective.

"What we learned from the pandemic is that when we provide benefits like this, allowing families to pickup on behalf of their children made a tremendous difference in reducing food insecurity amongst kids during the pandemic," Weikert Bryant observed. "Particularly during the summer."

Local schools will discuss eligibility with parents and families. Additionally, free meals are available at SUN Meals sites throughout communities. Funding for the initiative is provided by the state and the U-S-D-A.

Weikert Bryant said SUN Bucks serves as a crucial lifeline, ensuring no child goes hungry during the summer months. The program reflects Indiana's commitment to fostering the well-being of Hoosier kids, ensuring they receive nutritious meals to thrive personally and academically. She described who qualifies.

"Children are eligible for the program if the household already participates in SNAP, TANF -- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families -- or income-based Medicaid," Weikert Bryant outlined. "Or if the student has been identified as a ward of the state; a foster child, homeless or migrant."

Those children will automatically receive benefits. Families who do not qualify for those programs but have children who receive free and reduced priced meals need to apply for the program. The application deadline is May 1.


get more stories like this via email

Alabama is one of 14 states opting out of the 2024 summer electronic benefit program.

As summer rolls around, there will be no programs in place to help low-income families with grocery costs.

LaTrell Clifford Wood, hunger policy advocate for the group Alabama Arise, said as a result, more than 500,000 children who usually receive free or reduced lunch could go without meals. She noted while summer feeding programs will be available, they will not reach everyone in need.

"Ninety-four percent of Alabama children who rely on free and reduced-price meals won't have access to them over the summer," Clifford Wood reported. "That means that only 6% of the children who rely on those meals during the school year are going to be fed through summer feeding programs."

Clifford Wood warned limited hours, transportation and strict program rules will hinder many families from benefiting from such vital programs. The Alabama Legislature did not allocate the necessary $15 million for the program by the end of the last session. However, Clifford Wood noted there is a chance the program will be funded in the summer of 2025.

As legislators focus on next year's budgets, Clifford Wood stressed the need for funding next summer's EBT program. She pointed out Alabama Arise is calling for lawmakers to allocate funds from the Education Trust Fund to combat child hunger, affecting one in four children in the state.

"This is a program that's been tested for 13 years," Clifford Wood emphasized. "It's had three rigorous evaluation periods, and it was shown to improve the diet of children and decrease children's food hardship by a third."

Clifford Wood believes prioritizing children's needs and addressing food insecurity is a form of preventive care and serves as an early investment in the state's overall wellness.

The Food Research and Action Center said funding the e-benefits program would also benefit the economy - adding anywhere from $98 million to $117 million. The Alabama Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee is expected to vote on the budget next week.

California's program helping low-income families buy fresh fruit and vegetables is on the chopping block and health care advocates are asking legislators to save the Market Match program.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed cutting most of the program's $35 million budget to help close the state's budget shortfall.

Sophia Vaccaro, a participant in Market Match from Echo Park, said she depends on Market Match in more ways than one.

"It helps people being able to stretch their budget further," Vaccaro explained. "Then, I think it helps the community, in that it creates a sense of camaraderie at the farmers' market and makes people more invested in the community itself."

The program matches every dollar CalFresh customers spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at a farmer's market up to between $10 and $20 per day. It is active at 294 sites across the state and is partially paid for through federal matching funds.

Dr. John Maa, surgeon at Marin Health Medical Center and board member of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the American Heart Association, said Market Match promotes healthy eating and boosts the local farm economy.

"An improved diet really will have long-term meaningful impacts on health, and also reduce health care costs," Maa explained. "It really helps to sustain the growers and the merchants. I guess it's a win-win-win."

Siu Han Cheung, outreach coordinator for the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and board member of the Heart of the City Farmers' Market, argued the program is vital to residents across the state.

"If the Market Match will be cut, that is terrible," Cheung stressed. "That means they have less money to buy their food. So, Market Match is very important for the low-income families and the seniors."

Legislators and the governor are working toward the May budget revisions, and must pass a balanced budget by June 15.