6 Food Waste Myths Dispelled

Kristina is a San Francisco-based writer, focused on issues in rural life and agriculture. She was previously in the trenches of ag policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, campaigning to remove antibiotics from livestock feed and to reduce food waste. She graduated with a B.A. in Religious Studies from Davidson College, where she led students and farmers in a successful crusade to bring local, sustainable fare to campus. Before moving west, Kristina earned a second degree at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. Learn more at www.kristinacjohnson.com. There’s no question that food waste is a fiasco. Up to 40 percent of the food grown in the U.S. is never eaten. But for all the talk of reducing waste, among environmentalists, humanitarians, and penny-pinchers alike, there are still misconceptions about what’s safe to eat and legal to give away. So here’s a list of myths and facts, gathered at the Zero Food Waste Forum, a recent symposium of international food waste activists and experts held in Berkeley, California. It’s not uncommon for supermarkets to say they can’t donate food because of legal liability. But it’s just not true. Whether stores consciously perpetuate this untruth or they just believe the rumors is unclear. The fact is companies are protected by the 1996 Good Samaritan Food Act, which removes the legal risk involved when giving away food products to the needy. That said, several cities have recently made it harder (i.e., illegal) to distribute food on the streets to the homeless. But that fight has more to do with where people receive the food than who provides it.