Happy Friday BESTers,

    It's common knowledge that food waste is a bad thing and no 
one intentionally wastes food just for the sake of it.  Still a 
huge amount of edible food is allowed to rot in our refrigerators 
or pantries and even more is wasted before it even reaches the 
market due to harmless, cosmetic defects.  Who hasn't thrown away 
a bag of slimy spinach or past on buying a misshapen potato?  This 
article outlines these issues in the UK where a new book examines 
the environmental and ethical problems with food waste.  At least, 
as the article states, some of this food waste is being put to use 
in anaerobic digesters.  If the problem is so bad in the UK, I 
can't imagine how bad it is here in the US where it is not 
uncommon for a family to spend $150 or $200 on food they can't 
possibly all eat before it spoils.  Becoming frugal with our food, 
is a great step forward, but we also must change the mindset of 
perfect-looking fruits and vegetables.  Cosmetically-challenged 
food does not mean bad food.  Some of the best carrots I've ever 
eaten have looked like something from a horror movie.
    Wasting food not only is an environmental problem, but an 
ethical problem.  The excess food we throw away, raises world food 
prices and puts strain on impoverished people around the world.  
If all the food grown for waste was replaced with staple crops for 
international aid, world hunger could be ended  It truly was good 
advice when out mother's said "Clean your plate, there's starving 
children in the world."  We should take that to heart, and not 
only watch what we eat, but watch what we don't eat.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/exposed-the-big-waste-scandal-1737712.html

The Independent
"Exposed: The Big Waste Scandal"
Martin Hickman
July 9, 2009

Have a great weekend,
Ryan

P.S. As always, feel free to send me your any thoughts you have on 
my posting.