We all contribute to food waste, and we all can work to decrease it as well. A Simple Gesture Food Recovery is pleased to host food science expert Rachael Jackson on Tuesday, October 24, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm for a presentation entitled “Is It Okay to Eat This? Wasting Less Food—and Saving More Money.” The presentation will be held in the Morgan Community Room at the High Point Public Library.
It’s a familiar scene: You pull your container of strawberries out of the refrigerator, ready to add them to a bowl of cereal. But as you’re reaching into the container, you notice that a few have mold on them. Is it safe to cut off the mold and eat them? Should you throw them away? How do you know when food is safe and when it’s no longer good to eat?
The statistics on food waste are staggering. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 30%-40% of food in the U.S. is wasted, costing the average household about $1,800 per year. At landfills, about 20% of the waste (by weight) is food, making it the largest single component in municipal solid waste. And as that food rots, it produces methane—about the same amount of greenhouse gas as 37 million passenger vehicles.
A food journalist and the founder of EatOrToss.com, Jackson will discuss how we can all take steps large and small to reduce the volume of food that gets trashed every year. Speaking via Zoom from Washington, DC, Jackson will share how reducing food waste not only helps the planet, but can also help people in need, save money, and lead you to some amazing new recipes. Jackson’s goal is to empower consumers to waste less by taking the “doubt” out of “when in doubt, throw it out.”
Jackson will offer real-life examples sharing the science behind apples gone soft, potatoes that have sprouted, strawberries with mold, and many other common food conundrums. The presentation includes an interactive segment with audience participation. Come prepared with questions!
The event will also feature insights on the current state of food recovery in Guilford County by A Simple Gesture Food Recovery Director Laura Oxner. So far in 2023 A Simple Gesture Food Recovery has diverted 212,978 pounds of wholesome food from the trash and delivered it to nonprofits that can use it quickly to serve meals to the community or to clients. The event is funded through a generous grant from the Foundation for a Healthy High Point.
“Food is a valuable resource,” Oxner says. “Each and every person influences what gets eaten and what’s thrown away. Food is wasted on farms; during processing, distribution, and storage; in retail stores and food service operations; and finally in households. When we waste food, we also waste labor, fuel, water, and fertilizer, resources we could use in many other ways. We can all learn new habits and find effective solutions to cut food waste in our daily lives.“
“A Simple Gesture is happy to be able to host this event and raise awareness about food waste,” says Leslie Loyd, A Simple Gesture’s COO and President. “We all play a part in food waste, and we can all learn new habits and tactics to waste less food. When we do that, we conserve resources and save money that can be used for other needs. It’s a win-win for our community.”
To learn more about A Simple Gesture Food Recovery, visit https://asimplegesturegso.org/foodrecovery/
To learn more about food waste, visit
https://asimplegesturegso.org/food-waste-facts/
To learn more about Rachael Jackson and the Eat or Toss? website, visit
www.EatOrToss.com