Millions of tons of food are wasted each year in the United States alone.About 35 million tons, to be specific, according to the latest ReFED report. Nearly one-third of food that is grown and produced goes unsold or uneaten in the US, estimates ReFED, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing food waste.Half of all the food waste comes from consumers. “That’s either groceries — the strawberries that spoil in your fridge — or the meal you ordered at the restaurant and only ate half of or didn’t eat the leftovers when you brought them home,” said Sara Burnett, executive director of ReFED.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat waste wreaks havoc on our planet, she said, noting that 35 million tons of food waste “is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emission of 154 million metric tons of carbon, which is about the same as driving 36 million passenger cars for a year, and it consumes 9 trillion gallons of water, which is about 13 million Olympic-sized pools.”On Thanksgiving alone, ReFED estimated that 320 million pounds of food — $550 million worth — was thrown away in a single day.“The holidays are a time of gathering, celebration and abundance, and with that comes an unintended consequence — food waste,” Burnett said. “Thanksgiving — the biggest food waste day of the year — kicks off a season where some estimates say household waste increases by 25%, and that includes a lot of food.“Fortunately, there are easy and practical ways to reduce waste in your kitchen and save money in the process!”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe amount of waste is not decreasing even as inflation and food prices rise, Burnett added, and the cost of being wasteful goes up.We owe it to our wallets and to the planet to do our darndest to reduce …
