Persuasive Essay On Food Waste

It is a fact that food waste is a problem and will continue to be a problem. But, Jennifer Molidor has several ideas on how to decrease and even eliminate food waste in grocery stores. In her essay “When it Comes to Food Waste, Shoppers Aren’t the Only Ones to Blame” she talks of how if we want to eliminate food waste then we must “need the support of grocery stores.” To further support and strengthen her claim she uses many elements; some of which include data and solutions.

The most vital element she uses is data. Many people like picture-perfect food, so when they see a mango that is a little bit misshapen in the grocery store they tend to ignore it and search for one that looks perfect. Because of the astronomical number of people that do this “more than 250,000 tons” of food is wasted annually, all of that wasted food adds up to around “$218 billion.” This quote likely provokes shock and makes the reader wonder how we can waste that much food and money. The money could be easily used for better things, such as charities like Feeding America or Red Cross. She also brings up a report from the “Center for Biological Diversity and the Ugly Fruit and Veg Campaign” that has found that “9 out of 10” stores have not yet “taken their first steps to take responsibility… [for] good waste…” Many stores have not yet tried to get involved, or even attempted, to do anything to reduce their food waste footprint. This is extremely important because if those “9 out of 10” stores are doing “very little to prevent food waste” then the amount of food waste will never decrease.

The author then gives the grocery stores solutions to reduce or even eliminate food waste. One of the solutions she proposes is “sustainable seafood policies” where the stores purchase food directly from the supplier that has “committed to… eliminate… poorly-managed fisheries.” This can also be applied to other companies who supply other types of food such as fresh fruits and vegetables. The author substantiated that this solution has already been tried and had amazing results. The store's food waste was reduced to “less than 1 percent” at one store and had “no food” wasted at the other. What's even better is that it’s super easy. Another easy solution is using some of our ever-evolving technology. This technology would be used to “monitor temperatures and conditions” with real-time data so food has a less likely, or maybe even zero percent, chance of rotting. Some stores such as Target and Whole Foods have already implemented technology to use for the travel between the warehouses and the shelves.

Jennifer Molidor supports the idea of getting rid of food waste and supplies the idea of gaining support from the grocery stores: then supporting the grocery stores in turn. She strengthens her claim by using data and solutions to solve this problem. Food waste needs to be eliminated because of the lasting effects that it will have on the climate, such as “pollution and land degradation” and “damage to water [and] soil.” These effects are costly and not wanted.