Its okay if you can't help making a difference

I do a lot of reading about food waste. I cook for two so it's easier to avoid food waste for me. It's intuitive and doesn't require much thought or effort. I don't want to sound like the food police, and even if I did, my words would fall on deaf ears for the most part. Food waste is a big problem and a lot of us can't change our habits to reduce it. Most people don't have the time or energy to plan every meal and every leftover to make sure everything is used efficiently. I don't expect most people to change their behavior to mitigate this issue and I think expecting them to do so is unrealistic in a world where everyone is so stretched for time and energy already. <br><br>I think the best way to change this is to approach the problem from another angle. To be clear, I am not suggesting we should prevent people in need from getting the food they need, just that there are more efficient ways to let them get it. <br><br>I'm from a rural community with a lot of farms. We also have plenty of food banks and pantries. One massive issue I see from our local food pantries is that they heavily rely on donations of food that isn't being used (which is especially hard to come by in rural areas) and that they will store this food for months, even if it's close to expiration, when there are plenty of places to put it directly to use right away. I understand these operations are run by volunteers and they don't have time to handle logistics, but the model will need to change so that its more streamlined and efficient. I see so much food go to waste from these services because they are not run efficiently and instead of using what they have to feed people in need, they let the food go bad.<br><br>I think one of the best things we can do is sell our excess produce to those in need at a huge discount. Right now the produce selling model is to grow it, pick it, and then manhandle it until it looks perfect so that it can be sold for a higher price. We have to start looking at a model where the food being grown is divided into who it should go to. If it's on the uglier side, sell it at a discount, if it's perfect, sell it at a normal price to grocery stores. If food is not fit for consumption, compost it instead of throwing it in a landfill. <br><br>I work in healthcare and I'm so tired of seeing medical waste go straight to landfills. Used needles, medical tubing, and surgical tools go straight into landfills even though they could be recycled. I don't work in a small hospital either, it's quite large. If we look at waste differently and more as a resource, it can help make a big difference. We have been conditioned to see waste as something that isn't of value instead of seeing it as an opportunity.