Our world is full of food waste and, ultimately, everyone is guilty of it. This is an ongoing task performed by many individuals and is creating a worldwide problem across all sectors of the food industry. However, in the article titled "The State of Wasted Food in America and the Opportunities to Make a Difference," Chris Vogliano, a licensed and registered dietitian, and Katie Brown, a licensed and registered dietitian nutritionist, explained that in today's world food waste is more common than it has ever been. They state that an American “throws away 50% more food today than in 1970” (Vogliano and Brown 1199). The reason for this is due to population growth and demand for food. It may seem that consumers are heavily blamed for this problem, but food waste is present in many stages, starting from agriculture (where production takes place). There are many elements at the agricultural level that contribute to food waste and include environmental conditions, overproduction and aesthetic standards. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayEnvironmental issues such as climate change are negatively affecting crop production. This is a big problem for farmers because it goes beyond what they can control (Vogliano and Brown 1199). In some cases, high temperatures can prevent crop growth. For example, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “high overnight temperatures in 2010 and 2012 affected corn fields in the US Corn Belt, and premature sprouting due to a warm winter caused losses of 220 million dollars worth of Michigan cherries” (“Climate Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply”). The result of this was the large quantities of corn and berries that were lost during the production process. Eventually most of those crops had to be thrown away because they were no longer consumable. Also because of these warm temperatures, “U.S. farmers spend more than $11 billion a year to combat weeds, which compete with crops for light and water…” (“Climate Impacts on”). These weeds prefer to occur during high temperatures, and in doing so, they primarily absorb all the nutrients (such as sunlight and water) that each plant needs to flourish. This means that if crops do not receive essential nutrients such as those provided by the environment, they will no longer be useful. Instead, farmers will be forced to throw away any produce that has been damaged by weeds. One of the points discussed by Dr Iain Lake, Dr Asmaa Abdelhamid and Dr Lee Hooper (all of whom attended the University of East Anglia and studied environmental science) includes the idea that climate change may cause contamination in some important crops. This is problematic because some pathogens (bacteria) and mycotoxins (fungi) are likely to appear and this requires immediate removal of such products which will be sent to landfills (Abdelhamid et al. 8). As a result, this will add to the high amounts of food waste occurring in the United States and around the world. Overproduction of crops is a problem that farmers face. For farmers, predicting the demand for goods has always been a challenge because they are not aware of the exact quantity of each crop needed. A study focusing on the causes and ways to prevent food waste was written by Jenny Gustavsson, Christel Cederberg, Ulf Sonesson(of the “Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology”), Robert Van Otterdijk and Alexandre Meybeck (of the Institute of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)(Gustavsson et al.). These individuals believe that “To ensure delivery of the agreed quantities… farmers sometimes make production plans to be safe, and end up producing larger quantities than necessary” (Gustavsson et al. 10). At the same time, these farmers do not take into account that being on the side of “safety” ultimately means creating more food and waste (something we are trying to avoid) (Gustavsson et al. 10). As a result, farmers find themselves with large amounts of surplus and must decide what they want to do with the leftovers. Some of them donate excess goods to specific individuals who will then use them to feed their animals (Vogliano and Brown 1201). However, the majority is disposed of because it is not consumable for livestock or useful in any other way (Vogliano and Brown 1201). To demonstrate how much overplanting is occurring, let's take Italy as an example. In the cereals category, Italy has an estimated surplus of “40%,” vegetables are “54%,” fruits are “50%,” alcoholic beverages are “55%,” meat items are “ 54%” and, finally, fish-based items. they are “33%” (“Food waste: causes” 32). In total, Italy (between 2005 and 2006) had a surplus of 286%. This is a significant amount of overproduction that occurred in just one country. However, there are other places in the world that have a more or less high surplus percentage. The appearance of a certain product is the most important element for a retailer and consumers. In this case, farmers are obliged to separate goods ranging from: in good condition, to medium and in poor condition. Each fruit or vegetable will be judged on color, size, weight and shape. (Gustavsson et al. 11). This process is known as “knockdown,” and according to Vogliano and Brown, “knockdown can remove 10% to 40% of a product before it reaches the retail sector.” This represents a major percentage of goods that are discriminated against because they don't meet those perfect standards. An example of this task was observed by “Tristram Stuart who visited several British farms… notably MH Poskitt Carrots in Yorkshire” (Gustavsson et al. 10). He was informed that Asda, a supermarket, wanted all carrots to look presentable to attract consumers. As a result, “25-30% of all cores…were undergraded” due to size, shape, and because they contained imperfections (Gustavsson et al. 10). It is clear that "ugly" products will always be rejected while those with a perfect appearance will be preferred. Even if they taste exactly the same, the appearance will always be top notch. Although food waste is a very complex problem, there are possible solutions that will help reduce it. For example, Rick Stroecken, a student planning to complete his master's degree on the food waste supply chain, explains that educating farmers “about their crops and their harvesting techniques” is actually helpful (Stroecken 26). Some farmers are unaware of when they should plant their crops and the effects of planting them at the wrong time. Therefore, they must gain knowledge about “biological and environmental factors involved in postharvest spoilage” (Stroecken 26). For these farmers, being well informed is a critical component because it will help them in the production process. In other words, it will help them estimate the number of crops they will need to plant (while also trying to avoid overproduction). Furthermore, another solution provides that companies).?