Throwing food away is throwing money away (and it’s bad for the environment as well). Here are some fast facts provided by the Florida Food Recovery Coalition. Like we said, it’s not pretty! Of course, I wonder how much the tourism industry and vacation rental market contributes.
- Consumers and businesses in Florida produced 6.4 million tons of surplus food (uneaten or unsold) in 2022, a more than 13% increase from 2016, per the latest data from the nonprofit ReFED. Florida generated 5.77 million tons of food waste in 2022, according to ReFED.
- From the Pensacola News Journal: According to Cherry Digital’s survey, only one quarter of the people surveyed knew what the “use by” date on packaged food means. And almost half of the survey’s respondents said they won’t eat food that has exceeded its “sell by” date. “Florida households waste $835 worth of food annually, or in other words, over one-fifth of their food each month – because it’s gone past its expiration date,” the study said. One of the biggest contributors to food waste, according to this study, are the misconceptions surrounding food expiration dates.
- The average family of four in Florida throws out about $1,600 worth of food each year. (Source: Tampa Bay News)
- Florida is ranked No. 2 as the state with the most food waste, according to LawnStarter using data aggregated from Food Rescue US, ReFED, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and US Composting Council.