By: Ana Angel, Esmeralda Sanchez , Lesley Plata-Valenzuela

Discard of substandard products (bruised fruit, etc.)

Poor handling or package failure
Storage losses due (insects, mold, spoilage, etc.)

5.4 billion losses in food 1995
Dairy products & fresh fruit half of retail losses
25% would be equivalent to 8 million people

Help solve short shelf life
Benefits
Reduce the loss of food in retail stores


Every household produces personal waste every day that adds up to a staggering amount of
garbage each year.
In 2009 alone the Environmental Protection Agency reported that municipal solid waste
produced by
o American households
o Businesses
o Hospitals
Amounted to 243 million tons of trash, or roughly 4.3 lbs. per person per day
Although 82 million tons of this waste was recycled or composted in 2009, more than half
ended up in landfills.
The EPA estimates that 55 to 65 percent of total municipal solid waste in the U.S. comes
from households

Store managers claim food in their dumpster cannot legally be consumed by humans, or
that they cannot donate or give it away.
o Either ignorance or lies.
o Good Samaritan Food Donation Act that has been a law since the 1990s.
People suggest telling store managers you are collecting food to feed livestock or for a
compost pile and if you dont want to make a political point on the waste this will usually
work.
Some managers will even tell you when certain items are discarded (ie; produce), and
encourage you to come get them.
The main thing that food stores are worried about is someone getting sick from what they
throw away, and then suing them.

Food Reduction
Cook less food so less goes to waste
Factories can donate to shelters what they have left and no longer want.
Every household produces personal waste every day that adds up to a staggering amount of
garbage each year.
In 2009 alone the Environmental Protection Agency reported that municipal solid waste
produced by
o American households
o Businesses
o Hospitals
Amounted to 243 million tons of trash, or roughly 4.3 lbs. per person per day
Although 82 million tons of this waste was recycled or composted in 2009, more than half
ended up in landfills.
The EPA estimates that 55 to 65 percent of total municipal solid waste in the U.S. comes
from households.

34 million tons of uneaten food thrown in
the garbage each year.
The EPA estimates that less than 3 percent
of this waste is recycled.
Educate friends and family,
colleagues, and others
Shop wisely
Plane meals ahead and use
shopping lists
Buy from bulk bins, and avoiding
impulse buys or marketing tricks that
lead to overbuying can all help
reduce the amount of food discarded
at the household level.

Understand expiration dates. Sell by and use by dates are not federally regulated
and do not indicate safety, except on certain baby foods. Rather, they are
manufacturer suggestions for peak quality.
Many foods can be safely consumed after their sell by and use by dates.
Freeze unused ingredients. Food can remain edible for longer when frozen, so
freezing fresh produce and leftovers can save food that might otherwise not make it
onto the dinner table before it goes bad.
Serve smaller portions and save leftovers
Uneaten meals can be saved as leftovers for later in the week or frozen and
eaten later.

Its our world!
Your actions
Matter!
Parfitt, J., Barthel, M., & Macnaughton, S. (2010). Food waste within food supply
chains: quantification and potential for change to 2050. Philosophical Transactions of
the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 365(1554), 3065-3081.
Krkkinen, M. (2003). Increasing efficiency in the supply chain for short shelf life
goods using RFID tagging. International Journal of Retail & Distribution
Management, 31(10), 529-536.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-004-8278-9#page-2
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/meet-man-dumpster-dives-food-article-
1.1440910
http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-ip.pdf