An estimated six billion pounds of produce are thrown away every year in the United States. That's enough to fill up four NFL stadiums. Half of that massive volume of fruits and vegetables doesn't even make it to grocery store shelves because commercial sorters and packers consider imperfectly shaped or slightly blemished produce to be too "ugly" to sell.
To combat this monumental food waste and redirect perfectly edible produce to markets -- and consumers -- that need it, recent University of Maryland graduate Evan Lutz established Hungry Harvest. The non-profit "recovers" this discarded produce from local farms, food wholesalers, and packing houses and boxes and delivers it to paying subscribers. For every box purchased, the program also delivers fresh produce to a family in need.
In this month's Smart Nutrition segment, Lutz and our regular Nutrition Diva Monica Reinagel join Tom in-studio to discuss Hungry Harvest's market-based strategies to end waste and improve equity in the nation's food system.
You can find more health tips over at Monica's blog, Nutrition Over Easy.
