Abandoned English Farm

A recent study by the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that there are not enough fruits and vegetables in the entire United States for each person to eat five servings a day even if they wanted to.

Although the researchers attributed the problem to low demand caused by poor eating habits, the findings strongly suggest that U.S. food policy simply underemphasizes the cultivation of fruits and vegetables for domestic consumption.

Yet, in spite of this appalling shortage, every single grocery store in the country throws out more than a ton of food each year. The vast majority of this food is fresh produce, which is often discarded if its appearance degrades (as from bruising), if its "sell by" date is getting close or just to make room for a fresher shipment.

According to a recent study, 63 percent of the average supermarket's waste is food. In the midst of a record recession, could there be any clearer sign of how distorted our food priorities are?