wasting energy and food

SOYMB has previously posted on food waste here and here , and now we read in the New Scientist magazine that the US, where just 5 per cent of the global population consumes one-fifth of the world's energy, around 15 per cent of the energy used is swallowed up by food production and distribution. Most of that comes from farming with mechanised equipment, fertilisers and pesticides, irrigation and so on. Then there's the energy cost of sorting, processing and packaging. On top of that, each item of food on an American plate has made an average trip of over 2400 kilometres by boat, plane, train or automobile. Then there's unloading, stocking grocery stores and meal preparation.

But between one-quarter and one-third of the food produced in the US gets wasted, for a variety of reasons. A great deal spoils or is discarded before even reaching consumers, on farms, in fisheries and during processing. Over a year, the average American family of four spends almost $600 on food that they do not eat.

This means that at least 2 per cent of the total US energy budget is literally thrown in the trash.