I will be the first to admit that I was wasteful when I had the luxury of a meal plan.
Shively’s mashed potatoes and brisket is bland today? At least there is always the dependable burrito station. Nelson breakfast not up to par? The salad bar and a cup of soup will do.
When I could pick up whatever I wanted without having to pay per ounce, it was easy to throw out sometimes-untouched plates of food.
And now that I have to buy all of my own groceries, I can guarantee that I would never buy bananas with brown spots on them.
My thoughtlessness is an example of the overall wastefulness documented in a recent NPR article that details how nearly one-third of the 400 million-plus pounds of food sold in grocery stores are never actually eaten.
According to the article, 10 percent of all food is wasted in grocery stores themselves because many people, myself included, equate brown spotted bananas with them going bad.
After being sold, 20 percent of all food in homes goes to waste, whether it ends up going bad or tossed out at the end of dinner, the article said. And while 30 percent of food is thrown out, the USDA reported that one in seven Americans don’t get enough to eat.
The article said that the main reason food is wasted is because grocery stores overstock their shelves. “It comes down to shoppers demanding stocked shelves,” the article says.
Everyone can change their habits, and I know this is something I could change about myself. Something as easy as buying apples that aren’t the prettiest to ensure that someone buys it could go a long way. Or informing my roommates when something is about to go bad could help eliminate a lot of waste.
Other ways to prevent waste is by using kitchen composters to eat all that cabbage that you bought with full intention of eating, or even bringing it to the community gardens.
Maybe you could even eat a dry burger at Shively … but then again, I don’t want to suggest anything too crazy.
Meg Omecene is a junior studying strategic communication and the public relations director for The Post. Email her at mo403411@ohio.edu.
