The University of Minnesota is behind the artful YouTube video that made me feel guilty about throwing away a plate of nachos yesterday.
Here in the United States we have an abusive relationship with food. We need it to survive, but often discard it in large quantities without a second thought. There was a rule when I was a kid that only clean plates may pass, and boy, I fought it hard.
Anyone with a background in food service has seen what food waste truly looks like. Some employers would scold you for daring to eat food destined for the trash bin.
This love letter highlights the sheer wonderfulness of food before hitting you with a reality check.
Pretty educational.
When you don’t think about the supply chain required to deliver that meal to your plate there’s a tendency to be unappreciative. We have it pretty good here in the United States. Remember that the next time you’re scraping a plate in to the garbage.
According to a brief from UM researchers roughly 40% of the food supply in the U.S. goes to waste. Reasons vary from over planting to general unawareness about waste.
The goal of Love Letter to Food is to increase that awareness and make people think twice about food waste. A similar public awareness campaign in the U.K. helped to reduce household food waste by 19% over a 5 year period.
Now, if we could only get out act together in this country. Get the word out. Stop wasting food.
Damn, I sound just like my mother.
[Image Credit:Nate Gray: A Culinary (Photo) Journal]
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