Americans Guilty About Food Waste: Survey

[Sherman A1]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When it comes to their efforts to help the environment, Americans feel the most guilt about wasting food, according to a new survey.
The survey, called Eco Pulse, found that 39% of Americans feel guilty about “wasting food.” In comparison, only 7% felt guilty about “not sticking to an energy-efficient thermostat setting,” and just 6% felt guilty about “using chemical lawn or plant fertilizers.” The survey was conducted by the Shelton Group here.
“This is an issue that gets right to the core of who we are as Americans. We were all taught to waste not, want not, and trained that wasting food equals being a bad person,” said Suzanne Shelton, founder and chief executive officer of the Shelton Group, in a statement. “Yet the average household throws out 470 pounds of food every year, making it the largest component in our nation’s landfills. So I’m afraid we have plenty to feel guilty about.”


Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/consumer-trends/americans-guilty-about-food-waste-survey#ixzz23n4fxzJN

[Tunkamerica]

1. a compost bin/heap is so easy. And then you need less or no fertilizers for your yard.

2 birds. 1 battery.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. Is that even possible in (sub)urban environs?

My husband and I have chickens so we give them our table scraps and whatnot but we live in the country. Zoning and other laws/rules may prohibit owning chickens or composting in more built-up areas.

Also, if I may be indulged in a moment of bragging -- When I lived in the city with my college roommate she and I threw out around 90 gallons of trash a week. Since I moved to the coiuntry after getting married we hardly fill-up a pair of 32 gallon cans and that's with my husband's on-going renovation work generating trash.

[Tunkamerica]

9. a compost heap? totally. you can have a composting worm bin in a small apartment

[exboyfil]

2. A huge part of that waste are school lunches

You would be amazed at what gets thrown away. When I ate lunch at the elementary school with my daughters on Good Friday. According to my daughter the food offerings at her High School now have gotten so bad that she will pack a lunch in (also the lunchroom is so crowded that she had to sit on the floor to eat her lunch). They blamed the change in the lunch menu on Mrs. Obama's new iniative. I don't know if that is fair, but they took away the salad bar options from my daughter.

[Le Taz Hot]

3. "Mrs. Obama's 'new initiative'?"

Who is "they" and are they aware that Mrs. Obama doesn't issue initiatives? If I were a parent at that school I think I'd be raising holy hell about:

1) spreading misinformation,
2) politicizing in a public school, and
3) taking away healthy choices.

[exboyfil]

5. I plan to ask my daughter to pursue it

for her Broadcast Journalism class. I am not saying it is the case. I think it is obviously wrong and that is why I attributed it to someone saying it to her. Yesterday was her first day of school. The school just had to absorb a number of students from a lab school that closed, and it was already packed.

[lunatica]

4. How funny since Michelle grows and promotes salad gardens

which are eaten in the White House every day and at State dinners.

Why bring that kind of vague misinformation here? Michelle Obama has dedicated a good portion of her time as First Lady to nutrition and physical activity specifically aimed at people your daughter's age.

[exboyfil]

7. See above

I will get to you after she gets the real story.

[DiverDave]

6. The only folks that waste food

are the ones that always had it.
We grew up without alot.
I hate throwing out food.
Just seems wrong,somehow.