Concepts Of Sustainability is a continuing Greenopolis series exploring the larger ideas behind current sustainability trends.

Reducing domestic food waste is one of the biggest challenges in the creation of a sustainable food supply.

I hate waste. I was brought up that way. Don’t buy more than you need. Use up what you have on hand first. Repair an item, don’t throw it out.

So when I found out that The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that Americans throw out over 11 billion pounds of fruit and vegetables every year, I was shocked. Even partially correcting the rate of food loss could save U.S. consumers and manufacturers tens of billions of dollars each year. Not to mention lessen the environmental impact of such waste when food chain sustainability issues are added to the mix.

Waste Not, Want Not

Did you know that a study from the University of Arizona at Tucson, indicates that 40 to 50 percent of all food ready for harvest never gets eaten. It gets thrown into the trash or tilled under to make room for another crop to be planted. And that’s edible food -food that could feed people who need it.

Studies also reveal that as much as half of the food purchased in the U.S. goes into the trash. Now that’s a staggering statistic. Look ashamed, America!

In fact, according to a survey reported by the Texas Cooperative Extension Agency, a full fifteen percent of that discarded food includes products still within their expiration date that have never even been opened!

Estimates are that an average family of four currently tosses out $590 per year in meat, fruits, vegetables and grain products. That’s 130 pounds of food per person ending up in landfills. Nationwide, household food waste alone adds up to $43 billion per year.

It’s a serious economic and environmental problem.

Research also shows that by measuring how much food is actually being brought into households, a clearer picture of the food end-stream is beginning to emerge.

Minimizing food waste has the potential to reduce the impacts of food production, which are so troublesome to those who lobby for a more sustainable way of eating. Not only do minimization strategies reduce the need for waste disposal but they also prevent the waste of embedded energy, water and materials. For example, by incorporating an effective waste minimization strategy, food producers can reduce their demand for energy, water, and raw materials as well as reducing waste disposal and its associated costs. Waste minimization strategies usually represent a considerable opportunity to both save costs and reduce the impacts of food production.

In fact, cutting food waste would go a long way toward reducing serious environmental problems. It’s estimated that reducing food waste by half could reduce adverse environmental impacts by 25 percent through reduced landfill use, soil depletion and applications of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.

There are no easy solutions.

A rapidly growing world population, higher energy prices, and the urgent need for a sustainable food chain all present enormous challenges. A truly sustainable food chain must provide both a robust mechanism to meet the world's need for food while avoiding any adverse environmental impact.

And remember that a certain amount of waste in the food stream can’t be helped. There is very little that can be done about weather and crop deterioration. For example, when the effects of natural disasters, like the recent earthquake in Haiti are examined, the impact on sustainability goals is long reaching. Consider that Haiti has traditionally produced about 60% of its own food through local agriculture. But in the aftermath of a devastating disaster, there will be few crops planted this year.

We need to think about our priorities.

When a recent UC Santa Cruz study asked grocery shoppers on California's Central Coast to rank their concerns about the food system, respondents prioritized animal welfare above the treatment of human workers on the farms. Wow. Another staggering statistic.

And while fair trade practices for workers need to be addressed within a sustainable system, feeding those who are hungry should be our first consideration.

I learned a new term while researching this article. Food Insecurity. According to the World Health Organization, it means that there are over 1 billion people who are hungry. Over 48 million Americans live in households that do not have an adequate supply of food. Nearly one-third of these households contain adults or children who will go hungry at some point this year.

Sustainability is a far-reaching ideal designed to provide for future generations, but if we don’t find a way to feed hungry people now, will humanity survive? If we can find a way to use less, won’t that mean more we can share with others now? You tell me.