Can you believe it's actually zero food waste!?

In case you didn’t know, Miller’s Bio Farm is a zero food waste facility. I didn’t realize the extent to this conviction until I visited the farm last week.

My family ate dinner with the farmer’s family, and I was helping clear the table. There were maybe 5 beans left in a pot, so I asked the farmer’s wife Rebecca if I should put it in the compost. She said “Oh I’ll save it and put it in some soup.” She put the 5 little beans in a tiny container in the fridge.

This level of zero food waste astounded me. I had always considered composting food as not wasting it. This is not so in the farmer’s Amish community. They are taught as little kids not to waste food.

It actually relates to their Christian religion. According to the Bible (which the Amish read in High German), food is wasted by the foolish.

At the farmer’s table, each child serves themself. They are expected to eat ALL of their food. And, by all of their food, I mean scraping their plates nearly clean.

On the farm, no food is ever wasted. Extra food is shared with family and friends. Skim milk and curdled milk are fed to the pigs. Any meat that’s too old to sell is fed to the dogs. Extra produce is canned or fermented. They do have a compost pile for food scraps from cooking, but it’s small.

Oh how I wish all of America would catch onto this. America may not be a leader in many regards, but it certainly is a leader in food waste! Here are some stats:

• 80 billions pounds of food (that’s $161 billion worth) is thrown away each year in the US.
• 40% of the US food supply is wasted every year.
• 219 pounds of food is wasted per person in the US each year.
• $1,600 worth of produce is discarded per American family each year.
• 21% of landfill volume is food waste.

While 37 million people in the US are suffering from food insecurity, why are we wasting food!?!? It’s a combination of culture and our failing mainstream food system.

Culturally, many Americans are confused by “best buy” and “sell by” labels and throw away perfectly good food. Americans may tend to be impulsive with food buying and only pick “the best” looking produce or meat. And, since many foods are so darn cheap, it makes food seem disposable.

Our food system itself is not set up for zero food waste. Have you ever checked out a dumpster at a supermarket or school or restaurant? And what happens on a producer level if there is oversupply?

Sure, we can legislate the heck out of this. But, I really think the change needs to come through education and personal action. 

Check with your food sources and find out more about their food waste practices. Avoiding the supermarket and buying direct from farms is always a good step in reducing food waste.

Check your personal practices at home (I know I am!). Some ideas - find ways to creatively use leftovers, get better at sizing portions, meal plan so you don’t overbuy, and preserve food by canning, freezing, and fermenting. If you have more ideas, I want to hear them!

At least one thing’s for sure. If you buy food from Miller’s Bio Farm, you can be assured you are supporting a zero food waste facility.