What's the real problem? (and some positive news)

            Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University London, exposed me to a new viewpoint in his article “Food Waste is the Symptom, Not the Problem.” Lang argues that we cannot reduce food waste if we don’t tackle the real problem: “The entire economy is wasteful, a distortion of needs and wants. It overproduces and we under-consume - that’s what the current financial crisis is about.” His ideas opened my eyes to the bigger picture of food waste as an effect of our corrupted food system. There exists a contradiction between production, consumption, environment, health and social values. Although some might blame consumers for our often unhealthy and wasteful habits, Lang defends us. He shifts attention to food corporations who shove products towards us and politicians who have yet to fix the broken system. We are all Alices in Wonderland, surrounded by unnatural things labeled “buy me, eat me, like me.” By the end, Lang poses a thought-provoking question: “If cheap food encourages unhealthy eating, and dumps costs on the environment and healthcare, is it cheap?”

Unlike many of the food waste related texts I’ve read, David Ferry’s article in the Wall Street Journal tells a quite uplifting story. I was thrilled to discover that San Francisco diverts 77% of its waste from landfills! In fact, many big cities are now looking for ways to achieve the ultimate goal of “zero waste” because it is simply unsustainable to continue as they are now. Additionally, I learned that “In 2009, [San Francisco] became the first city in the U.S. to require food composting for residents and businesses, Rather than throw food scraps and dirty napkins into the trash, individuals and businesses must chuck their organic material into city-provided green bins.” Isn’t that great? It makes me want to sprint over to San Francisco just to admire those green bins in all their glory!