Food Insecure? Don’t know what for: A look into the complex history food waste in the United States.

Keywords: Food waste, insecurity, food deserts, socioeconomic and racial discrimination, production and supply chain models, and consumption
Abstract Type: Virtual Poster Abstract

Abstract

Over the past decade, food waste has skyrocketed in the United States. Globally we waste a third of all food produced for human consumption. In the United States, we waste over 40 percent of food. Yet the United States has more than 34 million people who are food insecure. Food waste and insecurity are two issues that exist on opposite sides of the spectrum yet go hand in hand in the United States of America when hoping to improve the overall health conditions of both land and people. This poster seeks to draw and explain connections between: food waste, insecurity, food deserts, health related problems caused by unequal access to healthy food options encompassing socioeconomic and racial discrimination problems, outdated production and supply chain models, and consumption through portion sizing. As we link all these crucial aspects together, we hope to shed light on the increased effects seen through numeric data throughout the last few decades.