TRASH TALK
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The average American throws away over $80,000 worth of food in their lifetime, a new survey shows.
The study into domestic food wastage found a typical adult throws away $26 worth of leftovers every week, totaling $1,346 worth of food every year - $80,760 over the course of an average adult lifetime.
The average household (with two adults) trashes about a third of a ton of leftovers every year – with potatoes, rice, and pasta as the most common food items scraped off the plate and straight into the garbage bin, results show.
Research carried out among 2,000 American adults found food leftover for too long and forgotten about as the main causes of 628lbs of leftovers being thrown away per household every year.
In fact, the average American adult trashes about a pound (.86lbs) of food each day, totaling a staggering 18,480 pounds of food in their adult lifetime.
Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of the three meals eaten everyday doesn’t actually get eaten, respondents confessed.
And the food is thrown away with a heavy heart, the results show, as nearly seven in ten expressed feeling guilty for throwing so many leftovers away.
And so much food wastage does lead to conflict - more than a third (36 percent) have gotten into arguments and reprimanded someone for wasting food.
Bananas, bread, and lettuce are more likely to be bought but never eaten before becoming covered in mold or spoiled.
Adam Zbar, CEO of food and recipe delivery company, Sun Basket, which commissioned the research, said: "Despite our best intentions, Americans waste over 130 billion pounds of food each year.”
"I used to always cook too much food for holiday parties since I never wanted anyone to go home hungry. As a result, I often was left with tons of leftovers, which is where food waste can occur.”
(Stat provided by: http://endhunger.org/food-waste/)
Cooking for a crowd is almost a sure way to waste food, as over three-quarters typically wind up with more food than they actually needed when hosting a group.
And brace for Thanksgiving - sixty-nine percent produce more food waste during the holidays than any other time of the year.
A quarter of the food is saved but never gets eaten, while one in seven say only the most popular dishes are saved while the rest is always thrown away.
We typically store leftovers in the fridge/freezer for four days before making a decision to finish it or throw it out, and we find ourselves eating leftovers twice a week on average.
Sandwich meat is the leftover food items most likely to be finished, followed by chicken and grapes.
“An important reason why I started Sun Basket was to help reduce this food waste by providing only what you need to prepare healthy, organic meals - no more, no less,” said Zbar.
“By providing customers with pre-measured ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes, we're getting people back in the kitchen cooking -- instead of taking out food -- in a way that's convenient, healthy, and delicious."
“With our pre-portioned Thanksgiving Sides and Holiday Party Box, Sun Basket has developed two holiday offerings, which ensure your guests never go home hungry and that you don't have any leftovers/food waste afterward.”
TOP 10 FOOD ITEMS EATEN AFTER BEING STORED IN THE FRIDGE
Sandwich Meat
Milk
Chicken
Grapes
Beef
Pasta
Takeout
Lettuce
Potatoes
Yogurt
TOP 10 FOOD ITEMS THROWN AWAY AFTER BEING STORED IN THE FRIDGE
Bananas
Lettuce
Bread
Milk
Sandwich Meat
Tomatoes
Grapes
Cucumber
Potatoes
Bread
Broccoli
TOP 10 FOOD ITEMS THAT EXPIRE IN THE PANTRY
Milk
Vegetables
Fruits
Takeout
Meat
Eggs
Yogurt
Cheese
Condiments
Herbs
TOP 10 FOOD ITEMS SCRAPED OFF PLATES AND RIGHT INTO THE BIN
Potatoes
Pasta
Rice
Meat
Carrots
Lettuce
Peas
Onions
Tomatoes
Broccoli
MATH
Each meal weighs 1.46 pounds
Average adult eats 2.51 meals per day
The average household has 2 adults
Average person only finishes 76.94% of their meals (therefore wastes 23.06% of each meal)
23.06% of 1.46lbs = 0.34lbs waste each meal
2.51 meals per day x 0.34lbs waste each meal = 0.86lbs food waste each day
0.86lbs food waste each day x 365 = 314lbs food waste per year
314lbs food waste per person per year x 2 adults = 628lbs per household
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