John Oliver devoted a large segment of Sunday night’s Last Week Tonight to America’s love affair with wasting food, as a report by the National Resources Food Council found that as much as 40 percent of all food produced in America gets thrown away. The issue is a multi-pronged one, as manufacturing and government institutions all reinforce the throwing away of food that could be otherwise given to those in need.
From expiration dates, inordinate standards when it comes to the aesthetics of the produce we eat, to the hurdles grocery stores and small businesses face if they even want to donate food, the system favors wastefulness at every turn. And, sadly, we’re nowhere near solving the problem, as a bill incentivizing businesses to donate food with tax breaks — which would literally be in every single one of our best interests — was recently hijacked by the Senate.
Unfortunately, while we may be nowhere near close to solving our wasteful food crisis, if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s #keepittighttatum.
