Food Waste Reduction Alliance (2014) reported that in 2011, 44.3 billion pounds of food waste was churned out by the food manufacturing industry. Where does this waste come from? Most of the time, it comes from the removal of the unwanted but edible parts (e.g. skins, fats, animal inlets or fruit peels). Other sources also include mechanical faults, excessive supply, and spoiled produce that are all common in this stage. Additionally, manufacturers often choose to dispose of products that still have a a few weeks of life left in them because stores are not receptive of them. The stores often presume that nearly out-of-date food cannot be sold.
Credit: Makanaka