How to help the world economy, one refrigerator at a time

A real simple way to help the world economy is to waste a lot less food.  The staggering costs of wasting food were described in a recent New York Times article:


Food Waste Is Becoming Serious Economic and Environmental Issue, Report Says

Consider:

"The report estimates that a third of all the food produced in the world is never consumed, and the total cost of that food waste could be as high as $400 billion a year. Reducing food waste from 20 to 50 percent globally could save $120 billion to $300 billion a year by 2030, the report found."

as well as:

"Food waste is not only a social cost, but it contributes to growing environmental problems like climate change, experts say, with the production of food consuming vast quantities of water, fertilizer and land. The fuel that is burned to process, refrigerate and transport it also adds to the environmental cost."

And this is a great idea:

"Meghan Stasz, the director of sustainability for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a member of the alliance, said the group was working with supermarket chains to reduce waste by clarifying expiration dates and selling smaller portions of food."

 So, leftovers are good and leftovers are great, it's better for the globe if those leftovers you ate.

Really.