Thanksgiving is a time to appreciate all that is good in our lives and to spend it in the company of friends and family while enjoying great food. It is also a time to reflect on the bounty of our food supply. Each year, as I put away the leftovers from my Thanksgiving dinner, I marvel at the abundance.
I also can’t avoid pausing to consider how much food is wasted in this country.
USDA estimates that on average, American consumers waste about one-fifth of food that is available to them, equivalent to about $371 per person annually. That’s enough money to buy about 21 whole turkeys for each person in the country.