When you hear the statistics on food waste, they are mainly about the amount of food each household tosses out. But when you consider farms, delivery systems, and stores, an astonishing amount of edible food goes to waste before we even see it. Grocery stores can be pretty good at getting their excess food to local food banks (if they are willing), but what happens when a semi truck full of broccoli that won't last more than a few days lands in your lap? That happens more often than you realize, when a shipment is rejected by the vendor and it's not cost-efficient to take it back to its source. Mobilizing that food for people who need it takes some serious logistics.
One group that is working on getting foods systems to work together is Boston Area Gleaners. The organization began as a way of saving the 30% of crops that are never harvested, and getting it to people who need it. They've expanded into the area of logistics, which is crucial when food that could be used is in one place and the food banks that need them are elsewhere, and have no one to spare for a road trip. Free food isn't free when it's 200 miles away.
Read about the challenges of saving perishable food that could feed those in need at Harvard Magazine. -via TYWKIWDBI