Pope: Wasting Food Is Like Stealing From The Poor, And We Let It Happen
The pope on wasting food seems to be right on target. The amount of food wasted in America is horrendous.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the pope’s comments on wasting food compared the act to stealing from the poor:
“Consumerism has led us to become used to an excess and daily waste of food, to which, at times we are no longer able to give a just value. Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of the poor and the hungry. … This culture of waste has made us insensitive even to the waste and disposal of food, which is even more despicable when all over the world, unfortunately, many individuals and families are suffering from hunger and malnutrition.”
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Bob Perciasepe, acting administrator of the EPA, said in 2010 an estimated 133 billion pounds of food, or 40 percent, is thrown away. It’s estimated almost $390 per year is wasted on uneaten food per every American citizen.
The pope might say the amount of fast food eaten per second is wasting food. Never mind the portion sizes are way beyond the recommended number of calories per days, which just feeds the obesity problem in America.
But have you ever considered what it takes to have that fast food ready to eat at the drop of a hat? If you ask anyone who is ever worked in fast food or at a grocery store deli they’ll tell you the majority of the food prepared for the day is completely wasted as the pope claims.
To make matters worse, this wasted food could be given to the poor but lawsuits and lawyers have created a sticky web which many businesses would rather avoid. Some eateries, like Panera Bread, will contribute any “old” but perfectly good food to churches and homeless shelters. Panera Bread even introduced a pay-what-you-want soup menu option for the poor. But, in general, much of this wasted food is withheld from the poor because of the threat of lawsuits.
Do you agree with the pope that wasting food is like stealing from the poor?
