apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Who or what is harmed when I toss rotting tomatoes or spoilt milk from my fridge? Who is harmed if I go to the store, but the produce, and then bury it in the ground? By using less food who benefits? Does a starving African not eat because I decided the chicken was overcooked and chucked it?

The idea being conveyed is we can be conscientious before your milk spoils or your tomato rots. The option to discard food is a luxury that we should knowingly appreciate...it results in an appreciation. If you feel like you overcooked that chicken, why not offer it to someone who will eat it anyhow, as noted above? Or compost it and add to a garden that will result in foods you can enjoy and share.

"By using less food who benefits?"

Everyone, including yourself. The majority of us consume an excess of calories (though not nutrients). Using less food doesn't necessarily mean one of denial, it can also be a conscious effort to appreciate what we already have and consume. We're also the largest producer of food that is thrown out. That's not something to be proud of, nor very beneficial to a country where landfills are growing exponentially.

Yeah, it's true that the only thing hurt directly by food waste is your own pocketbook. But it's also indicative of a wasteful society, which I find (personally) a little unsavory. I was raised in a house where we didn't have much money, and food was not to be wasted, so I suspect that contributes to my guilty pangs when things spoil in my fridge.

I could talk, here, about the hidden costs of waste - the cost of growing, harvest, transport, efficiency, and all that preachy stuff. But when you get right down to it? Wasting food is a small thing compared to a lot of the other big decisions we make every day. But one that some people (Including me) have strong feelings about, disproportionate to the impact of the action.

discarded food is wasted energy (and clean water, and clean air), everyone is harmed in the end.
BTW: surplus herbs can be frozen easily (at least parsley, basil and mint, I have no experience with cilantro)

If you don't want to eat something, a homeless person isn't going to want to eat it either. If you want to help the homeless, donate good food that you would be happy to eat yourself - don't use the homeless as your garbage disposal and then call it altruism.

Badifat - thank you! I typed and deleted something like that several times last night but I was tired and worried I sounded too angry and/or incoherant. I agree 100%.

Instead of taking leftovers or unwanted food to the homeless, what about letting them have first dibs? If you're cleaning out your pantry, they don't want your pickled beets either.

arg, EVERYTHING on the planet is harmed when we overconsume...it's our biggest fault as a society.
(sorry to sound so melodramatic)

Have you ever actually tried to give leftovers to the homeless. They will laugh at you, throw it away and ask for cash for liquor. (seen it)

The slow food movement seems to be at odds with the plight of small farms when they urge less consumption.

yes, overconsumption is bad, but farmers need you to BUY their products. Urging people to only buy the bare minimum is ludicris and harms the industry you are trying to promote.