Shive 1

Elizabeth Shive
S. Thomas
UWRT 1102
17 April 2016
Some grammar issues I struggle with are sentence connectors, me vs I, and the further vs
farther. When I use a sentence connector such as a semicolon or connector word, I always go
back to reread the sentence to make sure it makes sense. Since I am aware I struggle with this
grammar issue, I know to pay special attention to in my writing. With the me vs I and further vs
farther, I just practice it in order to improve. For example, when Im talking to someone, I might
correct myself if I say something like Mary and me. I also pay attention to others and make
notes when they use grammar correctly or incorrectly.
I would give myself a 97 on my thesis. I followed the assignment sheet by including They
say/I say, using outside research, and forming my own conclusion. I also made revisions as they
were advised.
To the best of my memory, this is one of the longest papers I have written to date. At the
start of the semester, I was unsure how I was going to write a paper this long. However, it was
not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I saw ways to connect the various ideas throughout
my thesis. I believe this is a thorough thesis. I began with the causes of food waste to inform the
reader of some background knowledge on my topic, then went into more detail. I then included
effects and solutions. This helps the reader understand the importance. I tried to include a little
humor in order to keep the reader entertained. I also incorporated real life voices and examples
like the Cameroonian woman, the potato farmer, and the NHLs senior VP of public affairs. I

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believe this is a well-rounded thesis that incorporates the SLOs and the guidelines set forth by
the thesis assignment sheet.
Love Food, Hate Waste
As you stroll over to the rotating trays to put your plate of a half eaten hamburger and a
few scattered fries, the smell of soggy food and dish soap hits you. For a brief moment, you
might feel some form of remorse as you glance as the posters like Love Food, Hate Waste and
Ask For a Sample, but you quickly give yourself a rationale like the food was disgusting
anyways or the food would have been thrown out later. However, that food left on your plate,
combined with the waste created at the food handling and processing or industry level and the
grocery or retail level (Dou), results in the annual waste of 133 billion pounds of food out of the
430 billion pounds of food produced in the United States (Buzby). Through advanced waste
research, a new public interest, and also private, public and government initiated food recovery
programs, food waste is gradually declining as the awareness of the problem is growing.
In order to fully dissect the food waste issue, we must first explore the drivers behind this
national and global scandal. Dr. Thyberg, an environmental scientist and biologist, divides the
food waste drivers into four different categories: industrial, economic growth, urbanization, and
globalization. Increased out of home production and preparation is a result of industrialization.
This disconnect between the consumer and the preparer enables a guilt-free disposal. You
wouldnt slide a plate full of your moms Sunday dinner into the garbage, would you? The
growth of the economy has also allowed the population to become more flexible with their food
expenses. Our diets have developed into varied, complex aspects of our everyday lives. Most of
us would prefer to get a different meal than face the leftovers in the refrigerator and our money
allows us to do exactly that which continues the cycle of waste.

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While the urban lifestyle may seem appealing, it does not help the United States food
waste. Living in areas where the food comes from a can instead of a local garden can damage the
relationship between an individual and his meal. A 2011 Austrian study by Lebersorger and
Schneider found that urban households produced a significantly larger amount of food waste than
those homes in rural areas. Another phenomenon, globalization, is a surprising contributor to the
food waste problem. On one hand, globalization has encouraged interaction between cultures and
the people of different nations. However, it has also detached people from their food by
promoting the importation of primarily animal based, processed foods from foreign places which
can lower the consumption of locally produced, plant foods. Thyberg believes that people also
may be more likely to waste food as they do not have a deep connection and understanding of
it. The values of certain foods and even food in general can differ from culture to culture.
The United States has an unhealthy relationship with its food. We do not have rituals or
rules that indicate when or how to eat (Thyberg). A slice of cold pizza for breakfast, breakfast for
dinner, or an entire Taco Bell feast at 2am are not uncommon meals. We would rather have
others prepare our food than take time to gather ingredients and create a meal in which we know
the work it took to make it. Other countries, such as France or Cameroon, hold food with a much
higher value. Thurn interviewed a Cameroonian women sorting fruits and vegetables in a French
food bank in her documentary Taste the Waste. The woman was devastated by the amount of
food wasted by the wholesale markets and supermarkets and was constantly trying to save food
that even the food bank did not accept. Some of the vegetables and fruits were grown in her
home country of Cameroon. She understands the back breaking labor it takes to grow them and
the cost of fruits and vegetables back home. Eventually, she is terminated from the food bank for
taking home excessive foods that the food bank ordered her to throw out. The extreme difference

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in food appreciation in cultures around the world is evident. A woman lost her job over food
waste while food waste goes virtually unnoticed in other peoples everyday lives.
The wasting of perfectly edible food does not start at the consumer level. Roots of food
waste have grown deep into the farm-to-retail level. Buyers set certain size, shape, and color
regulations for the vegetables and fruits they purchase from farmers in hopes of selling the only
most aesthetically pleasing products to their consumers (Neff). Beringdort, a German potato
farmer, claims to thrown out 40%-50% of his harvest due to the potatoes being too large, too
small, or having sprouts (Thurn). We, as consumers, are in part to blame. Our fruits need to be
vibrantly colored and fit our ideal fruit shape in order to win our purchase. Sometimes, we
wont even purchase the last apple in the bin because we assume there is something wrong with
it (Oliver). As a result, tons of fruits and vegetables are moved from the farm right into the
closest landfill.
Wholesale markets, retail stores, and grocery stores continue this cycle of waste (Bubzy).
Retail stores tend overstock their edible goods in order to prevent upset or dissatisfied customers.
Rather than be unprepared due to misprediction of the need of an item, they order more than the
estimated amount. The risk of losing business is greater than the cost of wasting food. Goods
damaged in transit and unattractive produce are once again thrown away at this level. A new
waste contributing factor is also introduced: sell-by-dates. Stores have their employees throw
away perishable foods like yogurts, milks, and again, fruits and vegetables that are nearing this
doom date. However, this date has little to do with disease prevention, as supermarket owners
might claim, and more to do with ever present inward flow of new goods.
Finally, we arrive at the waste level that most Americans are familiar with- the consumer
level. Ninety-one percent of Americans say that have thrown out food because it was past its

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use-by or best-before dates (Oliver). These arbitrary dates are simply producers best guess
when the food will have the best taste and have little to do with the safety of the edibility (Neff).
Only parts of certain food are consumed sometimes or food is overbought due to a bargain and
then sent to its untimely demise. Holidays can also result in excessive food waste. Too much
food is cooked, then it is tucked away in the refrigerator and forgotten. Eventually, someone will
begrudgingly drag the soggy mess out and place it into the trash where it seemingly disappears.
Contrary to popular belief, food waste in landfills does not compose as an apple core in a
compost pile might. Since the piles of trash do not receive oxygen on the inside, the waste has to
decompose anaerobically, or without oxygen. This anaerobic process of food broken down in
landfills creates methane (Oliver). Then, methane can be either released into the atmosphere
directly or enter by diffusion from the cover soil. Research from the United States Environmental
Protection Agency has proven that methane gases are 21 percent more powerful in accelerating
global warming than carbon dioxide and landfills account for 34 percent of all human-related
methane emission in the United States (Bubzy). Why should you even care about global
warming since it doesnt even really exist? Because it does exist. The ozone layer that protects us
from harmful ultraviolet waves produced by the sun is slowing dissolving due to gases like
methane. Although stating our future depends on the reduction of food waste might seem
dramatic, it is actually true.
Woven within the issue of food waste is the issue of food insecurity. Food insecurity is, as
defined by Bubzy, when the food intake of one or more household members is reduced and
eating patterns are disrupted at times during the year because the household lacks money and
other resources for food. This uneven balance between those who have too much and those who
do not have enough has grown wider since the evolution of the U.S. consumer culture after the

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wartime thriftiness of World War II. According to a Coleman-Jensen survey, 49 million
Americans lived in food-insecure households in 2012 (Buzby). The magnitude of this number
surfaces as the United States has a population of 305 million people. Statistically, one in sixteen
people in the United States suffers from the condition of food insecurity. Considering the amount
of wasted food produced in the U.S., it seems that no one should go to bed hungry. However, the
process of delivering food to be wasted to those in need is much more complicated and difficult.
Ignorance is found at the core of the food recovery dilemma. Potential donors falsely
believe that the donated food comes with a looming liability. However, the Bill Emerson Good
Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996 protects food donors from civil and criminal liability
should donated products cause foodborne illness (Neff). This knowledge could encourage food
donations since donors have a defense against possible lawsuits. Although sceptics of food
recovery might argue that donors would use the system to get rid of expired or damaged foods, I
believe that process of food donating would prevent this problem. Since retail stores, farm,
wholesale markets, etc would need to partner with a food distributor of sorts, the quality of the
donation would be recorded. Repeated donations below a certain standard would result in the
termination of the partnership and, if the offense is great enough, a report to higher authority
about the misuse of the food recovery system.
While food recovery might seem like the simple solution to food waste, it can also be a
more expensive option. Instead of finding a food bank in need of the donation, repacking the
food, transporting the boxes, and unloading then distributing the products, the companies can just
toss the excess out with one swift move from the shelf to the landfill. One possible solution to
the financial dilemma is to offer tax breaks or assistance in the processes of food recovery like
harvesting, packing, and distributing (Neff). Also, economic incentives could encourage big

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businesses to donate. Reciprocating the benefits of food donations allows both sides of the
operation to have satisfied experiences. These positive interactives propel the growth and
network of the food recovery system.
The food recovery system is not just good in theory. The National Hockey League has
developed a stadium food recovery program that includes all of its teams. Jonathan Bloom, a
published author and food waste researcher, had the opportunity to interview the NHLs senior
VP of public affairs, Bernadette Mansur. Mansur described how the NHL food recovery program
grew out of smaller programs at other various arenas and clubs. To get untouched but prepared
food to homeless shelters was simply the right thing to do, Mansur claims. In a June 2010 board
meeting, the owners of the NHL came to an unanimous decisions to begin this league-wide
program. The program is relatively straightforward. The Concessionaires use their carts to pick
up prepared, untouched concession food from stands around the arena. Then, they bring the food
to the loading docks at the stadiums where the homeless shelters are responsible for picking it
up. This technique divides the works and places some of the responsibility on the shelters to
come and get the food. Mansur reveals that players will sometimes get involved with moving
process after the game. This is only one of thousands of examples of the good that food recovery
programs have done for their communities. In a single year, the NHL food recovery program
donated 100 tons of food (Bloom).
Although I am a strong advocate for food recovery, there are other approaches to food
waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released its food recovery hierarchy. This
information is presented in an upside down triangle in which the most preferred method of food
waste reduction is at the top with declining preferred at the bottom. Source reduction is the most
preferred followed by feed hungry people, feed animals, industrial uses, composting, and

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incineration or landfill as the least preferred (Buzby). Reducing the waste at the source is the
most preferred because less excess is equated to less waste. Next, feeding hungry people is the
action I previously discussed through the food recovery system. Feeding animals with waste is
still beneficial because the food is not necessarily wasted since it is consumed by a living thing.
Industrial uses for food waste are ways in which foods can fuel industry. Food waste can be
added to municipal plants to digest parts of solid waste . Fats, oils, and grease can be transformed
into pet food, crayons, soap, deodorant, cosmetics, etc (EPA). Composting is a way to lower the
influx of food scraps in landfills and return nutrients to the ground.
Finally, the last resort to reduce food waste are landfills and incinerators. Weve already
talked about the negative effects on the environment of the gases released by these waste
removal process. It is no surprise that these are the least preferred waste reduction methods of the
EPA. The visual this chart provides allows us to see how the collaboration of all these situation
can result in a lower food waste in the U.S..
Other strategies are expressed on a website called ReFED. It is a data-driven guide for
businesses, government, funders, and nonprofits to collectively reduce food at scale. Because
you would probably zone out if I attempted to list and explain all 27 strategies outlined on the
website and all my hard work will have gone to waste, I will briefly discuss the two strategies
most relevant to my research which are consumer education campaigns and standardized date
labeling.
Creating a greater awareness of the American food waste problem could ultimately
change the way food is treated. With North American consumers leading the world in per-capita
food waste, the education of consumers on their leftovers, better storage techniques, and a
smarter shopping list is a must (ReFED.com). The effects of media is ever present in our current

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society so why shouldnt we use the media in a more positive manner to promote a lower food
waste. The influence of these campaigns might not be immediate or traceable, but I believe they
would change the future consumer and thus lower food waste.
If you took a look at the dates on the products in your local grocery store, you would find
that they actually do not make sense. Michael Hanson, a senior scientist with the Consumers
Union, illustrates this conundrum by showing three different dates written on the same product
by the same brand (Oliver). One product reads use-by, one read sell-by, and one had nothing
on it. These dates exemplify massive confusion in the food labeling department. The confusion
spreads to the consumers as it is estimated that these dates account for 20% of consumer waste
(ReFed). A standardized system for labeling food needs to be created in order for the consumer
to be able to make more educated decisions on the waste of his/her food. New language for the
label might include Manufacturer's Suggestion Only or freeze-by. Many challenges face
advocates of a regulated food labeling system since there is not a government agency or national
regulation controlling food labeling, but a large portion of consumer waste could be prevented
with these method.
Food waste reduction does not fall into the same fictitious category as unicorns or pots of
gold at the end of rainbows. Awareness and education for this problem continues to spread. The
comedian John Oliver produced a segment of his show, Tonight with John Oliver, on food waste.
Through his properly time jokes and hilarious comparisons, Oliver is educating his large
audience on the problems and solutions of food waste. Ive watched advertisements by large
businesses like Walmart that show food insecurity remedied by food meant to be wasted. The
posters hung in dining halls remind us of this mindless waste. Finally, this thesis was written to

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display the piles of waste hidden at the back of our minds. Let the tradition of valuing our food
begin with you.

Works Cited
"27 Solutions To Food Waste." Rethink Food Waste. ReFed, 2016. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
Bloom, Jonathan. "Q & A: NHLs Green Guru." Web blog post. Wasted Food. Jonathan Bloom,
21 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Buzby, Jean C., Hodan F. Wells, and Jeffrey Hyman. The Estimated Amount, Value, and
Calories of Postharvest Food Losses at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United
States, EIB-121, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, February
2014. eBook. 10 March 2016.
Dou, Zhengxia, James D. Ferguson, David T. Galligan, Alan M. Kelly, Steven M. Finn, and
Robert Giegengack. "Assessing U.S. Food Wastage and Opportunities for Reduction."
Global Food Security 8 (2016): 19-26. Web. 14 March 2016.

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"Industrial Uses for Wasted Food." Sustainable Management of Food Share Contact Us.
Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
Neff, R. A., R. Kanter, and S. Vandevijvere. "Reducing Food Loss And Waste While Improving
The Public's Health." Health Affairs 34.11 (2015): 1821-829. MEDLINE/PubMed. Web.
29 Mar. 2016.
Oliver, John. "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Food Waste (HBO)."YouTube. YouTube, 19
July 2015. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
Taste the Waste. Dir. Valentin Thurn. Perf. Klaudia Fischer and Jrn Franck. Films Media
Group, 2010. WorldCat. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Thyberg, Krista L., and David J. Tonjes. "Drivers of Food Waste and Their Implications
for Sustainable Policy Development." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 106
(2016): 110-20. Sciencedirect, Jan. 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.