Supermarkets, restaurants and consumers are responsible for the majority of food waste in the U.S. and other developed countries. Grocery stores contribute to food waste by encour
Supermarkets, restaurants and consumers are responsible for the majority of food waste in the U.S. and other developed countries. Grocery stores contribute to food waste by encouraging consumers to buy more than they need, overstocking shelves, inaccurately predicting shelf life or damaging products. Restaurants also waste food by mismanaging inventory, poor menu choices or oversized portions.
Retailers that sell only in large quantities are also feeding our food waste problem.
“It’s a lot of food that can easily go to waste,” said Mitcham. “Unfortunately, the costs are so low that sometimes it’s cheaper to buy way more than you need than it is to buy a reasonable quantity, so it tends to drive consumer behavior in that direction.”
Most date labels are not based on exact science. Manufacturers apply them to inform consumers when they can expect the product to no longer retain quality.
Consumers also misinterpret “sell by” or “best if used by” dates on food packaging to mean the food will no longer be safe to consume after those dates. Instead, the dates are the manufacturer’s recommendation for quality, not safety. Read more on date labels here.
Spang said there are also social and cultural factors that need to be considered when looking at consumer food waste.
“You can’t just look at a household’s waste and blame the family,” said Spang. “Food might go to waste because people are too busy to cook and misjudge the amount of food they need. They may live in rural areas and have to stock up and buy too much food rather than frequently driving long distances.”
Spang said in many cultures, running out of food is socially unacceptable, so better to have too much food than too little.
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