SALT LAKE CITY — Relentless May rain this year caused blight on much of the fruit Jack Wilbur grows, creating pock-marked peaches that makes them less attractive to consumers.

"We're lucky because by selling them to the general public at fruit stands and farmers markets, we have the opportunity to talk to them and explain it away, help them understand they are still good."

He also wound up with some McIntosh apples that are smaller than what is typical.

"Because of their size, they'd never be able to go to the grocery store," he said.

Imperfect produce, huge portions, sell-by dates and poor household planning are among the key reasons behind the enormous problem of food waste in the United States, where 40 percent of all edible food is discarded.

Producing that much food simply for the garbage can takes a tremendous amount of resources, according to a new publication by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Consider that the 40 percent of wasted food — valued at $165 billion a year — accounts for:

• 25 percent of the country's fresh water use

• 31 percent of the country's crop land

• 33 million tons of landfill waste

Wilbur, who is also a spokesman for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, said the state agency does what it can to educate the public about food waste, but it is tough to get consumers to look past imperfections.

The Natural Resources Defense Council published an analysis on food waste in 2012 and is following up with "The Waste Free Kitchen Handbook," to hit shelves later this month.

Food and agriculture experts with the national nonprofit organization say enough food is discarded everyday in the United States to fill the Rose Bowl and the waste is generated all the way along the line, from the farms to the grocery stores and in individual households.

"It really is all the way from the farm down to the fork," said JoAnne Berkenkamp, a senior advocate in the organization's food and agricultural program.

Berkenkamp gave a presentation earlier this summer at a forum for journalists called "From Farm to Table," that addressed a variety of agriculture topics.

The culprits behind food waste are many, she said, including a high variety at restaurants, fully stocked shelves at grocery stores, sell-by dates that are about freshness, not safety, household practices and consumer expectations.

"You go to the grocery store and you think nature has created everything that's perfect," she said.

Grocery stores that don't accept or discard blemished produce and misunderstood sell-by dates especially lead to widespread waste among food retailers, she added.

Super-size portions are another problem.

In the Natural Resources Defense Council's new book by Dana Gunders, the organization points to an analysis called "Portion Distortion" by the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute that compared food portions from 1982 and 2002.

The institute found that a typical slice of pepperoni pizza was 70 percent larger, a large serving of popcorn had grown by 133 percent, a soda had grown by 205 percent and chocolate chip cookies had increased in size by a whopping 400 percent.

"Consumerism is a huge culprit here," said Ashlee Yoder, sustainability manager at the Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Facility. "More is better. We just have that culture."

Yoder sees firsthand the effects of household and commercial wastefulness in her job at the landfill, but she also witnesses restaurants, caterers and others trying to address the problem.

"There are a couple of businesses that pick up green waste from restaurants and grocery stores that can't sell their products any longer and these businesses pay extra for that service, sorting it themselves for composting," she said.

Banquets and buffets by their nature are wasteful due to regulations that say once the food is put out for public consumption, it is considered "contaminated" and can't be repurposed.

"How can we modify our regulations, still keep people safe and not waste this food? It is an issue that a lot of public health organizations are looking at," Yost said.

The "more is better" mentality at bulk food stores, she said, drives waste as well.

"People think they are saving money by making these huge purchases. But if you take it home and only use half of it and throw the other half out, you did not save any money," Yoder said.

Berkenkamp said 42 percent of food waste occurs in people's homes and amounts to about 20 pounds of food per person per month.

Lack of meal planning, improper storage, avoiding leftovers and food spoilage top the list of reasons the average household is tossing away $2,225 worth of a food each year.

The Natural Resources Defense Council offers a list of strategies around reducing food waste, including ways to improve meal planning, gaining a better knowledge of how a refrigerator works, labeling and making better use of leftovers.

Gunders also recommends households conduct a "food audit" to determine the extent and the reason behind waste so families can better tackle the problem.

View Comments

On a national scale, the organization recommends that the U.S. government conduct an extensive study on the scale of food waste and standardize and clarify date labels on food so consumers are better educated.

State and local governments could initiate food waste reduction goals and mount public information campaigns aimed at the benefits of household composting.

Email: amyjoi@deseretnews.com

Twitter: amyjoi16

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.