Rescuing One Billion Pounds of Food

One billion of anything is a lot.

One billion pounds of perfectly good food given to hungry people instead of landfills is life changing for those who face hunger. And according to Feeding America, that’s one in eight people in America.

With wasted food in landfills being one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas going into the atmosphere, every pound of food we can use to feed hungry people – rather than send to a landfill – really helps the environment.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s tool, one billion pounds of food not going to landfills each year means the world avoids 270,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases!

So, how did we help rescue one billion pounds of food?

We invested in Feeding America’s MealConnect to make sure perfectly good, unsold food gets from supermarkets, cafeterias and restaurants to people, rather than landfills. The MealConnect platform is easy, and it’s free. Learn how it works, in this video.

“As a global food company, General Mills has long been on the forefront of food waste prevention especially as it pertains to community food security and environmental sustainability,” says Nicola Dixon, associate director of the General Mills Foundation. “We believe food waste is a major social, environmental and economic challenge that impacts everyone, which is why we are invested in change. We are pleased that we are investing more than ever in food banking infrastructure and other surplus food recovery solutions around the globe.”

“For nearly four decades, Feeding America and General Mills have partnered together to address hunger, piloting and implementing innovative strategies to help get more food to families in need,” says Matt Knott, president of Feeding America. “It is with that same passion and mission that we reach a milestone of capturing 1 billion pounds of food through MealConnect.”

What can you do to avoid food waste in your own home?

Did you know that 40 percent of food waste, amounting to 63 million tons of food, is thrown away at homes in America each year?

According to Save the Food, that amounts to an average of $1,500 wasted for a family of four. Betty-Crocker-Food-Waste-Infographic

To help educate people about the impact of food waste to their pocketbooks and the environment, Betty Crocker started its own #TasteNotWaste initiative, which offers tools, recipes and easy ways to take action including How to Make Stir Fry With What You Have On Hand, 5 Easy Ways to Take Leftovers From Good to Great and more.

Food waste impacts all of us. But with simple steps, we can all do our part. In honor of World Food Day, learn what you can do at #TasteNotWaste.