Perdue Hosts Food Waste Roundtable

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue hosted a food waste roundtable Tuesday which is expected to be the first of many events regarding food waste. The roundtable at the Department of Agriculture included Representatives Chellie Pingree of Maine and David Young of Iowa, along with food industry leaders and others. Secretary Perdue says the nation's "agricultural abundance should be used to nourish those in need, not fill the trash." While food loss and waste eats up nearly 40 percent of the food supply in the U.S., millions of Americans need access to affordable food, according to USDA. The federal agency says consumers are responsible for most food loss and waste in the U.S., racking up almost 90 billion pounds annually, or 20 percent of the U.S. food supply. The retail sector is responsible for about ten percent, totaling 43 billion pounds.