1,300 and $2,200 a year,” (Bloom) and for less fortunate families, those couple thousand dollars could be detrimental to their financial stability. “48.1 million Americans lived in food-insecure households, including more than 15 million children.” (Hunger and Poverty). It can be easy to agree with this statement but if you put into consideration that it is against the law for restaurants and other food sales establishments to sell food that does meet certain standards, then most people will see the need to disregard of the food found in their homes as well.
Let's say you manage a restaurant that offers a steak dish. A person goes in on a Saturday, wanting a nice juicy steak dinner. Your chef goes into the refrigerator to get the steak to prepare it for the persons dinner. He comes to the realization that there is a variety of steak to prepare, but it is a couple day’s past the sell-by date. He could assume that it will be okay and safe to serve to
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the customer since it’s only been 48 hours. Also, he could tell the waiter that they have ran out and the customer will just have to order something else. What are the odds that the steak will be full of bacteria and could end up being the customer's last meal? Most likely slim to none. If the chef were to decide to go ahead and prepare the steak instead of throwing it out, like he legally is supposed to do, and serves it to the customer and another customer walks in and sees it and decides he wants a steak as well, so he orders it and the chef is obligated to prepare him one too but the safety of the steak goes against the odds and end up being a meat slab full of bacteria, causing two innocent customers to be ill, this will lead to an epidemic if both cases are reported to the department of health services.. Most of the time when we hear of an epidemic we think of something that has occurred to a mass amount of people, but, an epidemic is actually when two or more beings are affected by the same source of what is most commonly found to be food. If this were ever to be the case, then you can see how it would have been better to just throw out the “spoiled food”. A recent incident, a restaurant found in Philadelphia catered to a banquet, leaving attendees with “diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps for days after attending”. “The restaurant’s owner said that the illnesses weren’t caused by their food.” The restaurant received “a health inspection just two weeks prior to the banquet noted that the restaurant had ‘unacceptable public health or food-safety conditions’” (Food Safety News). The ethical choice the owner should have made here was to stop business until they were able to get back on their feet and produce safe, healthy food to consume. These are just few examples of how serious this can be. When owning a restaurant, managing money is probably the biggest concern. Why can't restaurant owners figure out that it not only saves you money, but is better on the environment to purchase the amount of food needed, not more? If anything, it is safer to purchase barely below the asking amount of a product in the case that demand for that item goes down, that way you can be practically guaranteed that there will be no food wasted, at least on your end since once the food is sold it is out of your ability to decide what gets done with it. The answer to what is considered ethical or not when it comes to wasting food all depends on every situation and everyone’s beliefs. Of course it would be a miracle if we could just stop any and all food waste and were able to use 100% of the food harvested and could use that food to feed those who are struggling to find any, but we all know that unfortunately is unable to happen. “The production of wasted food also squanders resources, and said that the irrigation water used by farmers to grow wasted food would be enough for the equivalent domestic water needs of 9bn people.” (the guardian) When it comes to spoiled produce, there are other uses for them. When it comes to out of date food found in your refrigerator or pantry, it will most likely still be edible a few days after expiration. Restaurants can’t feed expired food since that goes against the law and all of the food regulations so therefore we can’t do anything to compromise that besides convincing them to purchase less food, potentially causing some customers to not get what they want, which could kill their reputation as a restaurant. It is human nature to find the easy route out of a problem and take it, but throughout this essay we have discovered that there is no easy way out of this one. People do not realize that just because we make more food, does not mean we are feeding a greater amount of people. The people who can not afford food are still not going to be able to afford it, regardless of if there is more available. Also, in some cases, when we throw out most food in the synthetic world we live in, it is wrapped in plastic or somes in some type of box or can, which by us throwing it away causes more harm to the environment than with us just not using all of the food made (West). There will always be another complication somewhere along the line. Living in an extremely privileged country, I can say that we should all at least try to minimize the amount of waste and the damage done to Mother Earth, and then one day in the long run, we will be able to see a difference. Reflection: During the period of exploration on the topic of food waste, the biggest thing to become apparent is that, yes, food waste is an issue, but no, there is not exactly a solution to the problem.
Therefore in certain scenarios, there is no other option, making it ethical because it is the only thing we can do. With me being able to see the extent of how wasteful we are has influenced me in a lot of ways. Whether it be from purchasing my produce with minimal packaging to reducing my contribution to landfills to eating more organic whole foods. If the foods are made without preservatives, pesticides, and etc., it will be not only better for me but I can eat it knowing that the earth was not harmed as much in the process of making it. As far as approaching this problem ethically, I believe this requires a personal approach. What one person, one place, one culture thinks is the ethical solution to food waste in the world, could be the most ethical and efficient solution to them, so that should be the route they
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U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2013, September ). Household food security in the united states in 2012. Retrieved from http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err155/report-summary.aspx
Michael Pollan makes arguments concerning the eating habits of the average American. Pollan suggests, in spite of our cultural norms, we should simply “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.”
More than $31 billion worth of food is wasted every year in Canada and when energy, water and other resource costs are factored in the true cost could be up to as much as $107 Billion each year according to a report published by Value Chain Management International, a consulting firm, which suggests that millions of kilograms of food is wasted every year in Canadian homes, restarants, & grocery stores. This finding shows a 15 % increase from their findings four years ago when the cost was $27 Billion,in 2010. They also go on to say that this is 2% of Canada s GDP and larger than the total economic output of the poorest 29 countries on the planet.
Much of the food is thrown into landfills, where it rots, which has very negative effects on the environment. According to John Oliver, the food left to rot in the landfills releases methane, an extremely powerful greenhouse gas (Oliver, 2015). Methane is a greenhouse gas, meaning it destroys the ozone layer and contributes to the warming of the earth. By refraining from throwing out so much food, or at least redirecting it to people who need it, food waste would be reduced, and so would its harm on the environment. Not only does the rotting food release greenhouse gases, the resources wasted to deal with the unwanted food are huge. According to Kevin Hall, Juen Guo, Michael Dore, and Carson Chow, “Food waste contributes to excess consumption of freshwater and fossil fuels which, along with methane and CO2 emissions from decomposing food, impacts global climate change” (Hall, Guo, Dore, & Chow, 2009, p. 1). America is essentially using resources like water and fossil fuels, that we could be directing towards a better cause, to dispose of perfectly good food that will then release harmful gases of methane and carbon dioxide. Food waste matters because it is a complete waste of valuable resources and food that is needed by many, while also contributing to the growing problem of climate
We always hear "do not litter!" or "throw your litter in the bins", maybe some of you bored to hear that yet we still do not throw it in the correct place. Litter is a serious habit problem to just throw away objects on the ground or leave them lying on the ground, instead of putting them in the garbage can. In Indonesia, the amount of litter is 175.000 ton/day and this is increasing every day. But we don't have to see that far, just look around us, our campus, Sanata Dharma University is still facing the littering problems. Each day, although there are various spots of bins and it is never full yet there are many litters lying in the floor, you can see the student hall as the evidence that even though it has 10 spots of bins, we still find people throwing their litter everywhere.
Many consumers misunderstand the labels and sometimes throw food that can still be considered as edible. As a result, just in the United Kingdom alone “2 million tonnes of annual food waste is due to confusion over date labels” which is a very devastating statistic because this kind of issue can be easily resolved if someone actually cared about the food waste problem (Clearer label plan in bid to reduce food waste). In effect, U.K.’s food department are attempting a new way to improve labelling to prevent edible food to go into the garbage. With this in mind, the waste agency decided to stop using complicated labels such as saying that milk can only stay 3 days in the fridge after opening but as a matter of fact it could actually stay much longer. The plan is that to replace the phrase “sell by” and start using “display by” because through this, consumer will have an idea when the food is bad to eat. Overall, this will teach people that food are still safe to eat even after the sell date and the only downside to it is that it’s less fresh than
Plastic or paper, is a choice that people face when going to the grocery stores. Plastic bags are often the choice that is made. A controversial issue in the world today is the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags are used because of the convenience they give, by being able to carry several items at once. However, in the article, “Banning Bans, Not Bags”, Jennifer Schultz claims, “Plastic bags clog up local waterways, litter roadways, and get swallowed up by unsuspecting fish” (6). Plastic bags are used once, then are discarded or, littered all over the place. When they are littered all over they become problems for more than just humans. These plastic bags pose a big hazard for animals on land and in especially the ocean. Humans eat land and
Food is a major part of everyone’s everyday life. It’s hard to imagine life without the chocolate cake on your fingers or a carne asada taco in your mouth. Enjoying delicious desserts and fast food seem extremely magnificent to eat and spend money buying them. Although, there have been many controversies in the United States on how it’s the largest country with the most obesity regarding children, which affects their health, many people are still going throughout their day snacking. Many people in America are having full course meals with thousands of calories in one sitting not knowing the short term or long term side effects that are going to take a huge toll on their lives. Food is delicious, but it comes with a secret behind the savoriness/sweetness.
“Healthy eating” means eating a variety of foods that gives you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feeling good with your health conditions, and having enough energy throughout the day (Nordqvist). A poor diet can cause harm a person’s daily life activities. Research from Eating Healthy Might Prove Too Expensive for Poor ABC News shows, that the price of eating healthy foods may be expensive to a family who earns a low-income. So, eating fast foods may be more convenient for them knowing that the prices are way less. However, everyone should make the effort to stop eating foods that will later on harm your health. As mentioned in the article “Healthy Eating”, “Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically
Every person has the ability to make their own choice of whether to eat meat or not. However, eating meat is directly tied to negative health effects, pollution leading to a depletion of ozone, and the depletion of hundreds of thousands of acres of land “wasted” on animal production when they could be used to solve the hunger crisis or lower emission levels. What humans eat is no longer a matter of choice; it has become a matter of life and death. Literally, the future of the whole planet rests on the decision of whether or not to eat meat. If humans chose to eat less meat the world that wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences (outlined above.) Vegetarianism is one possibility, as is Veganism; however the world would be
I have chosen the topic of food waste and the impact on the environment. I will discuss the ridiculous amount of food that is wasted each year and the staggering amount of waste that could be avoided just by planning ahead, and purchasing from farmer’s markets and avoiding the main stream supermarkets who set such high standards on the aesthetic of produce that tonnes are wasted for no reason other then shape.
Wastewater is the combination of water-carried or liquid wastes starting in the sanitary conveniences of dwellings, industrial or commercial facilities. In addition to this, surface water, groundwater and storm water may also be present. It is any water that has been badly affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It contains waste from residential, industrial and commercial processes. Municipal water contains industrial wastewater, sewage and gray water. Gray water is the water from sinks and showers. Large industries also produce wastewater.
Nutrition is the process of obtaining and consuming the right nutrients you need in order to grow and survive. These nutrients consist of water, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and fats. What you choose to eat has a significant impact on your well being, growth and overall health. Bad nutrition can lead to lifelong consequences such as Diabetes, High blood pressure, Obesity, Cardiovascular disease and even some Cancers. A healthy diet helps people manage a desirable body weight and composition that allows them to do their daily mental and physical activities (Youdim 1). If you eat the correct meals it provides energy and even helps boost your immune system. There are many examinations available to you to check if you’re on the
What is food security? Why is food security important, and how is it measured? In contrast, what is food sovereignty and how might it differ from food security? What are some contradictions and dilemmas inherent to these two concepts? In what ways might they be seen as contradictory to one another?
Brevard High School’s curriculum necessitates the completion of a final research paper that is graded by local college professors in order for students to obtain their high school diploma. I can recollect on the impending feeling of dread as the graded argumentative essays were returned to my class. As I reviewed the comments made on my rubric section, I discovered that I would have received a perfect score on my paper due to the extensive research I had compiled. Unfortunately, I had not cited one of my sources correctly, which deducted a significant amount of points from my final grade. My teacher communicated that he planned on advocating for my grade to be reconsidered, because he believed that I should have received a higher score than