Green | January 25, 2009 | 21 comments

Food police will tell you what to do with your leftovers

source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1127371/Food-police-come-knocking-kitchen-door--tell...

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Government officals will now be quizzing people on their doorsteps about food consumption and waste. They are part of an initiative to reduce the amount of food that is thrown away. Some are criticising the government for spending money on this during a recession.
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21 comments // Food police will tell you what to do with your leftovers

  • purplefox
    • 0
      purplefox  

    • they should be quizzing the irresponsible way in which supermarkets throw away even larger quantities of food, and how they encourage people to buy larger portions and unhealtheir foods through deals, whilst putting a premium on healthy foods. I mean, whoever heard of a fruit or veg with a set sell-by date? Thousands of fresh, perfectly edible fruits and veg are thrown out everyday just because the label say's they're 'off'.

    • 3 years ago
  • Elligirl
  • Commentor
    • 0
      Commentor  
    • purplefox:

      some folks don't know how to tell if their produce is bad. Worse yet there are many that arn't sure if meat is gone bad.

      The dates and labels are designed to insure people don't eat bad food. The labels are there because someone once ate bad food got sick and then said that there ought to be a law. Look at bottled water even it is required to have a sell by and use by date.

      If a market sells food past its date it can be on the hook for the spoilage and possibly for health concerns caused by it.

    • 3 years ago
  • twohawks
    • 0
      twohawks  

    • US consumes equivalent of '4.5 earths' provision of resources...

      http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/jul/07/research.waste (2002)
      "America's consumption 'footprint' is 12.2 hectares per head of population compared to the UK's 6.29ha while Western Europe as a whole stands at 6.28ha. In Ethiopia the figure is 2ha, falling to just half a hectare for Burundi, the country that consumes least resources."

      http://www.blueegg.com/article/Consumption-Strictly-from-Hunger.html (2008?)
      "How is consumption divided around the world?
      Roughly speaking, the richest quarter of the world's population consumes 75 percent of the world's resources. The United States, with 5 percent of the world's population, consumes more than 20 percent of the planet's resources, and about a quarter of its energy."

      http://www.oneearthweb.org/our-projects.html (2007)
      "It would take approximately four additional Earths worth of resources to support the world’s population with consumption and production patterns equivalent to that of North Americans. And good Earths are hard to find!"

      http://www.livescience.com/environment/warning_fuel_041022.html (2004)
      "The impact of an average North American is double that of a European, but seven times that of the average Asian or African."

      http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/danube_carpathian... (Oct 2008)
      "If our demands on the planet continue to increase at the same rate, by the mid-2030s we would need the equivalent of two planets to maintain our lifestyles," said WWF International Director-General James Leape.

      "The USA and China have the largest national footprints, each in total about 21 per cent of global biocapacity, but US citizens each require an average of 9.4 global ha (or nearly 4.5 Planet Earths if the global population had US consumption patterns) while Chinese citizens use on average 2.1 global ha per person (one Planet Earth)."

    • 3 years ago
  • petarro
    • 0
      petarro  

    • Actually, food residues could be a whole industry. specially oil that can be taken to produce fuel. bread crumbs can be used for cakes, cooking or even selling it. I have no imagination so, google a little bit and you will see for yourself.

      Not only here, but they should start limiting the size of the dishes.

    • 3 years ago
  • BrainwashVictim
    • 0
      BrainwashVictim  

    • I think I like this idea. People waste so much and dont even realize it.

      But the real wasters of food are the large supermarkets and fast food restaurants. I worked at McDonalds in high school and there was a five minute policy with food. If it was in the warmer for longer than 5 minutes, it was considered old and thrown away. At the end of my shift there were at least one and a half trash bags full of still wrapped and boxed burgers and fries. And it all went into the garbage.
      Now imagine this practice at EVERY fast food restaurant in the world.
      Its absolutely insane.

    • 3 years ago
  • FaintLee
    • 0
      FaintLee  

    • This is genius! People have no idea how much they waste, where stuff comes from and where it goes. Watch The Story of Stuff.

    • 3 years ago
  • MetztliTlaloc
  • 1percent
  • cantucwearebrothers
  • AutifK
    • 0
      AutifK  

    • An idea I had is that I think it would be a good to make some sort of government agency that collects your left overs and perhaps either breaks down the material for other uses or delivers it to those people who are impoverished.

    • 3 years ago
  • Hunnter
    • 0
      Hunnter  
    • AutifK:

      I agree with this, but then the question of paying comes into it and that ends up creating all sorts of arguments, especially now.

      Personally, i like to re-use food waste.
      That food is fantastic for the soil and plants, or stray animals and birds.
      I feed the birds nearly every day, even had one take some out of my hand around early September last year.

    • 3 years ago
  • afloyd60
    • 0
      afloyd60  
    • AutifK:

      why does everyone always think we need more govt. when a problem arises. more govt. just creates more problems and rarely fixes anything. how about starting your own non-profit org and do it yourself. more govt. means more regulations and stupid laws. how long before this govt. agency starts sifting through your garbage and imposing fines based on what they find?

    • 3 years ago
  • AutifK
    • 0
      AutifK  
    • AutifK:

      Reply to 'afloyd60'

      Well... first off, I'm in school and I'm too busy to start a non-profit organization, so I wouldn't be able to commit myself to a non-profit org right now. The government has our taxes, so I was hoping that they could appropriate it in the way that I suggest.

      Secondly, are you suggesting that we shouldn't introduce new government agencies because they come along with restrictions? Restrictions are laid down to maintain order, so that whatever the government agency purpose is can be carried out in a systematic and efficient way. If you cannot abide by the regulations, then it is only because you are an obstacle to the process.

      Thirdly, there doesn't have to be any 'sifting' through your garbage. It could be like how we organize our recycling (e.g. Plastics, aluminum, paper, etc.). So, I don't think you have a true basis for your worry.

      Fourthly, I don't know if I can agree that government agencies rarely fix anything. Can you prove it to me?

    • 3 years ago
  • Commentor
    • 0
      Commentor  
    • AutifK:

      Regulations made by governments always reduce personal LIBERTY that being the case I'm against it.

      If I would like to give food to others do it but don't make anyone else do it. If I buy too much and throw it out its my business. Maybe I buy something have a taste and don't like it should they be able to fine me because of it?

      The Idea of Food Police bothers me -- Government rules and regulations often have unintended consequences.

    • 3 years ago
  • AutifK
    • 0
      AutifK  
    • AutifK:

      Reply to 'Commentor'

      Well, the government sets up other regulations that restrict your liberty in some way. Do you think it would be to your benefit to remove all those regulations which govern everyone?

      Let me introduce a paradox to you. If you want freedom, then there must be restrictions on behavior. Wanna know why? Your actions affect other people's welfare and other people's actions affect your welfare. Removing regulations relevant to you means that they are not limited in how they act towards you in those given respects.

      To answer your question, I think you should be fined in that case. Careless actions like simply throwing out food show neglect to the world you live in. It shows neglect for the resources you use (or rather the resources that you waste). No man is an island. Your actions affect others either directly or indirectly. If you have trouble recognizing that, then the legal consequences will be your teacher (as with being fined for driving over the speed limit, for example).

      One more thing I want you to think about is this: "Regulations made by governments always reduce personal LIBERTY that being the case I'm against it." Think about what you just said again... is that really true? If that is true and you want to maximize your personal liberty, it sounds like you'd be happier not living in a state or a city since states and cities necessarily have governments. Live in a region that is neither a city nor state nor has a government, and tell me if you have increased your personal liberty more than decreased it. I would be interested to hear your answer. Tell me how.

    • 3 years ago
  • Commentor
    • 0
      Commentor  
    • AutifK:

      I think Thomas Jefferson said it very well->
      "Of liberty I would say that, in the whole plenitude of its extent, it is unobstructed action according to our will. But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others.
      I do not add 'within the limits of the law,' because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual."
      --------------------------------------------

      So I have a right to my property and I may choosed to do with it as I will as long as it doesn't prevent you from your right to do with YOUR property what ever you will.

      If I buy some product and choose to burry, consume, destory, give away that property its my business and none of your's in less you be a receiver of the property or it damages you directly
      (like if I throw it at you and it damages your body or property in some way) merely depriving you of my property doens't enter in to it.
      ---------------------------------
      That being said an honorable person would share food with the starving when he has more than enough - but it should be of his own free will and not regulated by the LAW. I don't have problems with the govenment facilitating donations if that is what you have in mind. The law should however not be used as a tool for the redistribution of wealth al la robbinhood.

    • 3 years ago
  • AutifK
    • 0
      AutifK  

    • In my experience, some people just don't care. Some people buy more food than they can eat and toss the rest out. Also, I worked at a bagel shop when I was in high school. Everyday, they would throw out a few black garbage bags or two of bagels, pastries, and so on. It's a shame. Getting people to purchase as much food as they can eat/use would be a good start to getting them to be less wasteful of their food. It's not just those people that are considered obese that are wasteful.

    • 3 years ago
  • sueathome
    • 0
      sueathome  

    • I totally agree that education will save this country. We now have 30 something % of the population is obese, not fat, but obese. We are using our resources at record breaking speed. I am sure we could cut out the small amount of money from some other wasted government agency and put it towards new and innovated programs. Hell the old way didn't work.

    • 3 years ago
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