According to the knowledgeable individuals in this film, food waste accounts for a large part of the carbon footprint and mainly occurs at packing houses, on farms, and at manufacturing plants where food is aggregated for consumption. Dana Gunders, food waste consultant, makes the point that not only is food waste an environmental issue, it is also a social and moral problem since the 1,250 calories per day that are wasted could feed all the impoverished people in the world. Robin Hoods of the Waste Stream takes a close look at some of the individuals involved in both nonprofit and for-profit companies that are vested in tackling this issue. The documentary is both informative and a call to action.
Heart to Heart Farm started a food pantry to offer excess produce that was bruised or misshapen to the community. To their surprise, the demand for food grew and Elizabeth and Tyler Boggs asked individuals to volunteer at the pantry to help with the amount of work and offset costs. When students at the University of Maryland noticed that the dining halls were throwing away food at day’s end, they formed The Food Recovery Network and connected college dining halls with nonprofit organizations to repurpose excess food. “The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996” gives liability protection to donors if the food is donated to a nonprofit organization, and, it provides tax incentives. Four million pounds of food have been recovered. Ben Simon, the co-founder of Imperfect Food, found that their company could utilize technology to offer food for sale online that was not up to supermarket standards or nearing expiration dates and sell it at affordable prices. People could order food and have it delivered quickly.
Tracy Oseran, the founder of Urban Gleaners, first reached out to restaurants in the Portland area to acquire food waste and deliver it to schools and homes. Next, they started a food pantry for families to select food to take home. Ben Moore, the founder of Eat Ugly, turned from farming in California to culling fruit that was rejected for cosmetic or longevity reasons and reselling or donating it. For founder Doug Rauch at the Daily Table, he learned there is more of a nutrient shortage than a calorie shortage in this country and began to offer food at low cost to help families be able to afford produce. Ample Harvest connects home gardeners online to over 8,000 food pantries in 50 states to find outlets for excess produce. Kamal Ahmad, the founder of Copia, developed a platform to match event planners, hospitals, universities, and corporations with organizations accepting excess food. Delivery was included. If eliminating food waste is the third solution to countering climate change, then this documentary makes a strong point that everyone can contribute in some way toward this end—these organizations certainly have. Recommended. Aud: E, J, H, C, P.