HUNGER & FOOD WASTE

Forty percent of all food produced in the United States goes to waste. Producing this food accounts for 25% of freshwater use in the U.S., as well as 25% of U.S. methane emissions.  Meanwhile, 50 million Americans are food insecure.  Food Shift, an Oakland based nonprofit, focuses on eliminating the discrepancy between wasted food and hunger by expanding food recovery. The agency’s paid, professional staff can recover food more consistently and efficiently than a volunteer-based system. Plus it creates jobs. Businesses and institutions pay Food Shift to pick up their surplus food and distribute it to food assistance organizations. Food Shift has already recovered and donated over 35,000 pounds of food since it began.  

Source: National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, 8/14/14, Food Waste