Food Waste: How Millions Go Hungry in a Nation with too Much Food

Did you know that the US wastes 70 billion pounds of food every year? However, we're not the only offenders. Globally, the world fails to consume over 1/3 of its food supply. 

Despite this

• 42.2 million Americans are food insecure
• 13.1 million children are food insecure
• 42% of UC students are food insecure 

So why does the US throw away 70 billion pounds of food when millions are food insecure? That's a tricky question to answer. A lot of it has to do with access to, distribution of, means to purchase, and the policies regarding the handling of food. 

Zero Waste Coffee

For many, the morning cup of coffee is not up for compromise. The internet is flooded with coffee themed memes, forums, and paraphernalia (this is my favorite), suggesting that the beverage has a growing cult-like following. 

So it probably wouldn't surprise you to learn that the Harvard School of Public Health has reported that the average American consumes about 3.1 cups of coffee a day. Which amounts to a 40 billion dollar industry!

Image by Don Lavange

Its pretty obvious that the US isn't giving up its coffee habit. With such widespread use, its important to note the environmental costs of coffee. In turn, we should do what we can to minimize our impact.