This topic caught my attention today. After looking it up and reading only a couple of different articles about it (which, for all intents, were basically identical) I became curious about what and how Dopers feel or think about it.
It is a problem with what seems to be, on the surface, many simple solutions. I don’t think the reality is that easy for a number of reasons, but I’d like to know; what would you be willing to do, or sacrifice, in order to reduce food waste and more equitably distribute food around the world so that there is less unwarranted (perspective may come into play here) hunger.
For instance, everyone’s favorite produce punching bag, the tomato. We all dislike the commercial tomato. Round, red, tasteless and sometimes lacking good texture as well. Would you be willing to accept such tomatoes if it meant that more tomatoes could be successfully shipped to other parts of the world so that someone could have a nutritious, if bland, meal and not be hungry? You can substitute any food item you like for the tomato. Would you accept lesser quality flavor for the opportunity for someone to eat that might not otherwise?
I’m not looking for suggestions to solve this issue. I’m curious what you all would deem acceptable to ease the problems that go into food waste(it is actually several things combined after all)
I think the big issue would be the “transportability” of these food items. High nutritional food items like meat, eggs, fresh fruit/vegetables, etc… which are available in abundance in most areas of the USA would not survive in an edible condition to, lets say, Sub-Saharan Africa. Refrigeration for meats and eggs, most fruits and vegetables are “gassed” (I think) during storage to prevent over ripening and spoilage. I don’t think this would be feasible in shipping to areas that need it. Grains ship easily and generally don’t spoil during shipment.
An alternate idea is to genetically modify (yes GMO) your tomato to grow in areas closer to the need where it could be shipped with out spoiling.
Why does tomato (or vegetable X) have to bear the sole responsibility for nutrition across the globe?
People eat nutritiously all over the planet eating locally adapted foods. I would say, instead of giving up tasty tomatoes in order to increase durability, let’s work on increasing local production of foods that grow in the places that needs it.
Actually Eonwe, that is just one of many solutions.
Food waste is a complex problem that requires a complex solution, part of which is exactly what you suggest.
The reason I framed the op the way I did is because in the US alone right now consumer food waste is somewhere around 76 billion pound/year. That’s You and Me and a6ka97 at home in our kitchens after all the shipping and handling and processing the associated food waste for those accounted for. This part of the issue, it’s causes and solutions (as they relate to the US anyway) are complex in cause and solution alone.
I can’t solve this on a message board, and maybe it’s something that can’t be “solved” just somewhat eased. Basically, I’m not looking for a right or wrong answer.
I can infer from your response that you don’t see a need to sacrifice quality in your food when there are other options available and I’m fine with that.
Quite frankly, isn’t that what we have already done? We all complain about store bought tomatoes, but unless we are home gardeners, we still buy and eat them because they are cheap, plentiful and have a pretty long shelf life for produce.
There is a program here that collects almost expired food from grocery stores and gives it out to low-income folks. There is so much food that next they make announcements for anyone at any income to come and get some because they can’t store that much perishable food. That’s when I go and get some.
In the before times, I could “shop” (ask for 1 or 2 cucumbers instead of the dozen they wanted to give me, I couldn’t pick through to get the best ones), so I didn’t bring home more food than we could use.
Now I have no control as to what I get because they load it up in my trunk. The amounts of food I bring home is honestly staggering and totally unreasonable for 2 people. Because I couldn’t stand to just toss the unused and unwanted food away, I take it to where I used to work. They are always all smiles (yes I can tell when someone is smiling when they are wearing a mask) when they come out to get 2 and 3 boxes of food.
I am able to save a trunk load of food a week from being thrown away, but considering what I see, the amounts of food waste is kinda sickening.
Here in the Philippines, rice costs 40c a pound and is eaten by nearly everyone three times a day. Walmart is selling store-brand long-grain 20-lb in the US for $4.84, or 42c a pound – about the same. . The Philippines is the largest rice importer in the world, mostly from Vietnam – another rice-eating country with nearly the same population and area as Philippines.
Rice is a food that has no issues related to handling, storage or shelf life. But still defies the logistics of getting it onto the plates of consumers. Nothing is as simple as it seems.
Back to tomato, ours are about twice the size of cherry tomatoes, are greenish-orange, and cost 80c a pound.
Not related to solving the food waste problem - but this characterization of tomatoes is largely out of date in my experience.
The produce sections of supermarkets now feature a pretty good variety of tomatoes, including cluster types and not uncommonly some heirlooms. The consistency and flavor may not always stack up to home-grown, but they’re a lot better than they used to be.
Same with apples. You used to have a “choice” of Red Delicious or Granny Smith; now there are at least a half-dozen or more to choose from, some quite good.
What you say is true @Jackmannii, and I am glad for that. Especially the apples, a staple in my house. However the tomato may never live down that period of wretched infamy when it was bred for shipping and handling and looks and naught else. At least not till tomato loving folks like me die off.