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Food Waste In America

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The U.S has an immense food waste problem, about fifty percent of all produce in the United States is thrown away and some sixty million tons every day. Almost all of the uneaten food from grocery stores, businesses and restaurants go to landfills, even though a large percentage of the food is edible and unexpired. Americans and businesses waste a great deal of food due to strict standards for food appearance, and the inconsistent food labeling system. If the federal government implements laws on the food labeling system, and educate the public about when food expires, food waste can dramatically decrease. Food that gets spilled or spoiled before reaching its final product or retail stage is called food loss. The U.S is wasting …show more content…
Food is not at its best quality after the expiration date, and use-by date, like the food can be stale but it does not make one sick after eating it. Expiration dates on food and drink products are not regulated by Federal administrators The sell-by date, use-by/expiration date, best-by date, mean different things, “ the sell-by date is for store employees to know how long a product can be stored. The best-by date specifies when a product is at its best quality, but does not indicate that after the date is is unsafe to eat. The use-by/expiration date implies when a product will begin to spoil, but it will not make one sick ” (Filipic). The misinterpretations of these dates are leading many Americans to waste money and throw away good food. People believe that they are throwing the food away because it can make them sick if they eat it, but in reality food and beverages are still good a little while after the expiration date. Most food products, do not have a constant labeling system, so manufacturers can determine the use-by and sell-by date according to their own methods. This confuses customers, and causes them to waste food, “ the average household of four is losing $275-455 per year on food needlessly trashed ” (Filipic). The deregulation of the labeling system is causing most Americans to waste a lot of food and money every year. It causes trash companies to send more food to landfills, and the disposal costs cause local authorities a lot of money, so they have to increase local taxes. People buy food and then throw it away too quickly, then spend more money buying it again. If the food labeling system was consistent, people and businesses would not be confused and they would stop throwing away food before it actually goes

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