Our world is full of food waste and, ultimately, everyone is at fault. This is an ongoing task carried out by many people and creates a global problem present in all areas of the food industry. However, in the article titled "The State of Wasted Food in America and the Opportunities to Make a Difference," Chris Vogliano, registered and registered dietitian, and Katie Brown, registered and registered dietitian nutritionist, explained that worldwide Today, food waste is more common. that he never was. They mention that an American “throws away 50% more food today than in 1970” (Vogliano and Brown 1199). The reason is population growth and demand for food. It may seem that consumers are heavily blamed for this problem, but food waste is present at many stages, starting with agriculture (where production takes place). Many elements at the agricultural level contribute to food waste, including environmental conditions, overproduction and appearance standards. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayEnvironmental issues such as climate change negatively affect agricultural production. This is a major problem for farmers because it is beyond what they can control (Vogliano and Brown 1199). In some cases, high temperatures can prevent a crop from growing. For example, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “high nighttime temperatures in 2010 and 2012 affected corn fields throughout the U.S. Corn Belt, and premature bud break due to a warm winter caused $220 million in Michigan cherry losses” (“Climate Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply”). This resulted in significant quantities of corn and berries being lost during the production process. Eventually, most of these crops had to be thrown away because they were no longer edible. Also because of these hot temperatures, “American farmers spend more than $11 billion annually to control weeds, which compete with crops for light and water…” (“Climate Impacts on”). These weeds prefer to grow in high temperatures, and in doing so, primarily absorb all the nutrients (like sunlight and water) that any plant needs to flourish. This means that if crops do not receive essential nutrients such as those provided by the environment, they will no longer be useful. Instead, farmers will be forced to throw away any produce that has been destroyed by weeds. One of the points discussed by Dr Iain Lake, Dr Asmaa Abdelhamid and Dr Lee Hooper (all of whom attended the University of East Anglia and studied environmental science) includes the idea that climate change can cause contamination of certain major crops. This is problematic because certain pathogens (bacteria) and mycotoxins (fungi) are likely to appear, which instantly requires the disposal of these products which will be sent to landfills (Abdelhamid et al. 8). As a result, this will add to the high amounts of food waste in the United States and around the world. Overproduction of crops is a problem that farmers have to face. For farmers, forecasting the demand for goods has always been a challenge because they do not know exactly how much of each crop is needed. A study focused on the causes andways to prevent food waste was written by Jenny Gustavsson, Christel Cederberg, Ulf Sonesson (of the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology), Robert Van Otterdijk and Alexandre Meybeck (of the Swedish Food Institute and biotechnology). United Nations (Gustavsson et al.). These people believe that “in order to ensure delivery of agreed quantities…farmers sometimes develop conservative production plans and end up producing larger quantities than necessary” (Gustavsson et al. 10). At the same time, these farmers do not take into consideration the fact that being "careful" ends up creating more food and waste (which is what we are trying to avoid) (Gustavsson et al. 10). As a result, farmers are left with large amounts of surplus and they must decide what to do with the leftovers. Some of them donate excess goods to specific individuals who will then use them to feed their animals (Vogliano and Brown 1201). However, the majority are disposed of because they are not consumable for livestock or otherwise useful (Vogliano and Brown 1201). To demonstrate the extent of overplanting, let's take Italy as an example. In the cereals category, Italy has an estimated surplus of "40%", vegetables at "54%", fruits at "50%", alcoholic beverages at "55%", meat products at “54%” and finally fish products. are “33%” (“Food waste: causes” 32). In total, Italy (between 2005 and 2006) recorded a surplus of 286%. This is a significant overproduction that only occurred in one country. However, there are other places in the world where the surplus percentage is more or less high. The appearance of a given product is the most important element to a retailer and to consumers. In this case, farmers are required to segregate goods ranging from: good condition, medium to poor condition. Each fruit or vegetable will be judged based on its color, size, weight and shape. (Gustavsson et al. 11). This process is known as "screening" and according to Vogliano and Brown, "screening can eliminate 10 to 40 percent of a product before it reaches the retail sector." This represents a significant percentage of products that are discriminated against because they do not meet these perfect standards. An example of this task was observed by “Tristram Stuart who visited several British farms…especially MH Poskitt carrots in Yorkshire” (Gustavsson et al. 10). He was informed that Asda, a supermarket, wanted all carrots to have a presentable appearance in order to attract consumers. As a result, “25 to 30% of all cores…were downgraded” due to their size, shape and because they had imperfections (Gustavsson et al. 10). It is clear that “ugly” products will always be rejected while perfectly aesthetic products will be preferred. Even if they taste exactly the same, their appearance will still be top notch. Although food waste is a very complex problem, there are possible solutions to help reduce it. For example, Rick Stroecken, a student who plans to complete his master's degree in food waste supply chain, explains that educating farmers "about their crops and harvesting techniques" is actually helpful (Stroecken 26). Some farmers do not know when they should plant their crops or the consequences of planting at the wrong time. They must therefore acquire knowledge about “the biological and environmental factors involved in post-harvest deterioration” (Stroecken 26).).?