SOCIALISM!!1!

Aldebaran said:

I heard recently that there is enough food in the world to feed 26 billion people. The problem isn't that there isn't enough, but what is done with it. Left in the fields because it wasn't profitable to harvest, or thrown away at restaurants because it was leftover from the day's business, or thrown away at home because the people thought they would eat it, but changed their mind. Even grocery stores throw away food that is past its expiration date, even though still perfectly edible.

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If left in the field unwanted crops return to the soil. This is good.

Aldebaran said:

Or any farmer that produces the food that people need/want.

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Let's discuss need vs want. It is want that is problematic seeing that Americans (and other developed nations) eat nearly twice as much as is good for them. Of course this is good for the healthcare industry.

OldWiseGuy said:

We should be more positive about farm bankruptcies, buying up those farms and returning them to natural grassland and forests. This will bolster commodity prices, provide more recreational opportunities, and help the environment. Exporting half of what we grow isn't a good idea.

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Exporting half? You should read about how much food north america throws away. THAT is perverse....

Aldebaran said:

And yet there's still plenty of food that's being thrown away. The fact that 26 billion people could be fed, yet there's only about 7 billion in the world shows that waste is the big issue.

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Says something about our corpulent consumer habits too.

Aldebaran said:

And yet there's still plenty of food that's being thrown away. The fact that 26 billion people could be fed, yet there's only about 7 billion in the world shows that waste is the big issue.

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The wasted food is an issue that could likely support a thread of its own. I'm aware of at least a couple of ways to deal with food surpluses.

One way is part of our 'hard times' solution for food storage. We buy a large amount of freeze dried and dehydrated food. Unopened most has a 15-20 year shelf life. Some of it is quite good. All of it is nutritious. The stuff that is quite good, we eat on a regular basis.

The other way to deal with food waste is irradiation. Food spoils because of the bacteria contained in it. Irradiated and sealed it has a much longer shelf life. And much which would normally be refrigerated wouldn't need to be until it was opened. But the population is afraid of anything with 'radiated' on the label.

Without preserving solutions, food will always be wasted to some extent.

Aldebaran said:

Yep! If people don't want to waste food or money, it's best if they'd quit buying whatever they see in the store only to throw it away later. Save food, save money. Of course, if the store then throws away the food the people don't buy, then we have the same result anyway.

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I have heard that many grocery stores sell expired veggies to pig farms, or donate "older foods (that are consumable) to food banks.

rambot said:

I have heard that many grocery stores sell expired veggies to pig farms, or donate "older foods (that are consumable) to food banks.

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Many do. There is no requirement for that.

I know a guy who has an arrangement with the local grocery to pick up old veggies and fruit for his pigs. He will often 'sort' the stuff and things -he- thinks is still good enough for him doesn't make it to the pigs.

But it has a really short shelf life by the time the store dumps it.

zephcom said:

Many do. There is no requirement for that.

I know a guy who has an arrangement with the local grocery to pick up old veggies and fruit for his pigs. He will often 'sort' the stuff and things -he- thinks is still good enough for him doesn't make it to the pigs.

But it has a really short shelf life by the time the store dumps it.

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For sure. We have an "end of the road" grocer down the street from us. They sell "bulk" veggies in boxes (so, like 15lbs of roma tomatos for 10$. I bought about 20lbs of bananas for 8$). It's great for freezing but a lot of those things don't last more than, say 4 or 5 days.

rambot said:

For sure. We have an "end of the road" grocer down the street from us. They sell "bulk" veggies in boxes (so, like 15lbs of roma tomatos for 10$. I bought about 20lbs of bananas for 8$). It's great for freezing but a lot of those things don't last more than, say 4 or 5 days.

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<chuckle> End of the road bananas should always be frozen as banana bread.......

zephcom said:

<chuckle> End of the road bananas should always be frozen as banana bread.......

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Absolutely. That and smoothies is all we used them for. Bought that box last August. Still getting through it

OldWiseGuy said:

When we export commodities we are exporting our soil. We need our soil to remain here. We should be exporting our ag technology and equipment instead of our foodstuffs. "Teach 'em how to fish."

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Aldebaran said:

But if people are starving, it's not. This is where the wasted food facts come into play.

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No one who is actually starving can make use of this food.

Aldebaran said:

And yet there's still plenty of food that's being thrown away. The fact that 26 billion people could be fed, yet there's only about 7 billion in the world shows that waste is the big issue.

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So we should be growing enough food for 26 billion people?

zephcom said:

<chuckle> End of the road bananas should always be frozen as banana bread.......

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Or to flavor protein shakes.

zephcom said:

The thought that crossed my mind was that forcing small businesses into bankruptcy so they can be bought up for pennies on the dollar is a time honored Capitalist tactic. It would not surprise me to see the total acreage of the 'corporate farms' increase at nearly the same rate as the 'family farmer' goes under.

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The big fish eat the small fish in many businesses. Look at Walmart.

He's basically trying to buy the votes of farmers--a president whose approval has never once hit 50% needs to maintain all the supporters he had in 2016. There isn't a chance that he'll get new ones.

The farmers had better not listen. The support will end on Election Day, 2020--and it probably won't start until shortly before then. After they vote, they'll be expendable, like all the other groups Trump has broken promises with.

Fantine said:

After they vote, they'll be expendable, like all the other groups Trump has broken promises with.

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If re-elected every voting group becomes expendable as they can no longer do anything for him.