Americans throw away about 150.000 tons of food a day, or more than 400 grams per person, according to a survey released Wednesday that specifies that fruits and vegetables are the most frequently discarded.
That trash food was grown on about seven percent of America's farmland and thousands of billions of gallons of water were used to grow it, according to an article published in the journal PLOS ONE. These foods also account for 30 percent of the calories consumed by every American every day.
Fruits and vegetables represent 39 percent of all foods, followed by dairy products (17 percent), meat (14 percent) and grains (12 percent). Among the least frequently rejected foods are chips, oil, sweets and soft drinks.
"Better diets are based on a higher proportion of fruits and vegetables, which are thrown away in larger quantities than other foods," explains Meredith Niles, co-author of the study and an assistant professor at the University of Vermont. "A healthy diet is important and it is a source of numerous advantages, and the more we pay attention to our diet, the more aware we are of food waste," she added.
The research, based on government data and surveys on food waste between 2007 and 2014, reports a "significant" impact on the environment and on farmers. "That waste corresponds to harvests" of more than 350 million kg of pesticides and almost a billion kilograms of fertilizer "every year", according to the source.
Among possible solutions to the problem, the research suggests training consumers on how to better prepare and store fresh fruits and vegetables and suggests that the government adopt programs to prevent food waste, reports Hina.
Lead author Zak Konrad of the North Dakota Agricultural Research Service noted that food is wasted on several levels. "A holistic approach will become increasingly important in finding sustainable ways to meet the needs of a growing world population," he concluded.
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