“It’s Pretty Sad”: Video Highlights Just How Much of America’s Food Supply Goes to Waste Every Year

According to a video going around online, in the United States, roughly 30% to 40% of the entire food supply goes uneaten. The video, which shows massive amounts of food waste across various companies at the end of the day, highlights how much leftover or unused food is thrown away, rather than given out to people who need it.

The video prompted discussion online about the amount of food discarded by businesses each day and whether more of it could be donated. We can see trash cans full of half-eaten or even completely uneaten food and not bat an eye. Videos like this are important in opening people's eyes and hopefully making them think twice about what they do with the food that they do not finish.

This video shows many different businesses, from restaurants to fast food to even groceries, who toss out things like produce when they go even slightly bad. In fact the video drew criticism from some viewers.

Food scarcity and food deserts are very real

Commenters under the video expressed their own feelings towards the situation. Some expressed outrage, while others expressed disappointment. The common thread, however, was that this is something that should not be happening with how many people in this country still don't get enough food every day.

"This is criminal when you think of all the people that go to bed hungry. There should be legislation at all government levels to facilitate and incentivize sending this food waste to food banks and shelters," a user in the comments suggested.

Some were sharing similar stories from working for big box companies, though they did not involve food. "I worked in Rite Aid. If the books didn't sell we had to rip the cover off and throw away the books. BOOKS! I had to get permission to take a box that was getting thrown away. Or I would have been fired for stealing. Just heartless all the way around," said one.

One told a story about their own time at a fast food restaurant, where they would leave the discarded food in places easy for people to reach: "I worked at Burger King when I was in high school in the early 1980's. The restaurant was in an area with lots of homeless. I would leave the 10 min old food outside the dumpster for them so they wouldn't have to dive for it. I slept very well when they fired me for 'food theft.'"

The video prompted hundreds of comments from viewers discussing food waste, food insecurity and whether more unused food could be redirected to charities and food banks.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify where or when all of the footage in the viral video was recorded.