Food is the single largest contributor to U.S. landfills today. In Canada, the stats are no different. An estimated $27 billion in Canadian food annually finds its way to landfill and composting, creating unnecessarily high levels of carbon and methane. That’s approximately 40% of all the food we produce. As consumers, we are responsible for more wasted food than farmers, grocery stores, restaurants or any part of the food supply chain.
The Save the Food campaign by the Ad Council and Natural Resources Defense Council in the US has taken on an awareness campaign about food waste by producing a light-hearted video which tackles the very serious subject. The video follows the life of a single strawberry through a whirlwind of harvesting, transportation, packaging, storage and just for fun tosses in a love interest subplot with a lime. The campaign aims to change household behaviour to reduce food waste, and in turn, minimize environmental and economic impacts.
The Save the Food campaign points out a 4-person family loses $1500 a year on wasted food. That saving is equivalent to a raise. Luckily we can turn the tide by being part of the solution. The food storage section on the site is filled with specific information about your favorite foods. You’ll learn how to store them, freeze them, and keep them at their best longer. You’ll also find helpful tips about safety and ways to revive food.