Food waste: stories of inclusion and a sense of community

Food waste costs billions of dollars a year and is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. French government just passed a law banning grocery stores from destroying or throwing away unsold food, and instead directing it to those in need.

World Concern, a Seattle-based Christian humanitarian group, provides people around the world with vouchers they can use in select markets, rather than the traditional emergency food aid of rice and other grains. In Dhobley, Somalia, the solution of vouchers quickens the process of receiving the food and contributes to the local economy.

Even with all available help, New Yorkers miss about 100 million meals each year - food stamps are not enough. But some New York food banks allow for the homeless to choose their own food products, making healthy choices easier.

To decrease the nation's food waste, activists in Denmark showed the people that it was safe to buy and consume items that were very recently expired. From live demonstrations where celebrity chef features expired items in the entrees to reducing prices for out-of-date items, "Danes now throw away 25 percent less food than they did five years ago."

Crop production is very high in Tanzania but the farmers have no way of storing crops so most produce goes bad. Researchers are beginning to create storage systems that allow for produce to last longer and help farmers create a greater product and income.

Researchers figure that roughly a third of all the food we produce is never eaten. In Paris, a new restaurant is taking a small slice out of all that waste by salvaging discarded food from a local market, cooking it up into fine cuisine, and serving it on a "pay-what-you-can" basis to a clientele that includes some of the city's neediest residents.

America loses about 31 percent of its food to waste. Driven by environmental, social and economic pressure, more and more cities are starting mandatory compost programs.

One program has found a way to turn feces into agricultural compost, which has helped Haiti, a country with limited sanitation systems, both keep its water clean and grow food.

Most people are unaware of how much food they waste. Food waste campaigns across the world are using creative marketing to raise awareness and encourage behavior change.

The amount of plastic debris in our oceans and water sources - especially nanoplastics that are increasingly prevalent in our food chain - is so enormous it's often beyond comprehension, and immensely difficult to address. As countries continue to industrialize and single-use products become more commonplace, the flow of harmful plastics into the environment seems insurmountable. But a number of clever inventions and dedicated individuals are working to help get plastics out of our water - and more importantly - encourage practices to reduce, reuse, and recycle.