From the outbox of Meyer’s inbox:
As kids we were all often told to “clean our plates.” When there was a protest over a heaping portion of Brussels sprouts we were then reminded of all the starving children around the world who would love those Brussels sprouts. We could incur great wrath by asking for their addresses. But hunger in America is a very serious problem. Fortunately, there are some folks who are taking the proverbial bull by the horns and seeing to it that food isn’t going to waste. Here’s a story about some new policies happening in California to help feed the hungry. Next time you go out to dinner, ask the restaurant what they do with their leftovers. Might be a great way to get a dialogue going.
LEFTOVERS FOR THE NEEDY: IT’S NOT THAT HARD by David Lazarus for the Los Angeles Times
Why not set up a clearinghouse that connects restaurants and caterers that have meals to donate with groups that can distribute it? It never ceases to amaze me how difficult it can be to get some businesses to do the right thing. Donating leftover food is a good example.
More than 14 million Americans were out of work as of last month. The national unemployment rate is 9.3%; California’s jobless rate is a staggering 12.3%. Fedmeister Ben Bernake said last week that high unemployment is keeping the economic outlook “unusually uncertain.”
Yet as families everywhere struggle to get by, officials and businesses are still dithering over how to get unwanted food to shelters, food pantries and other resources for the down and out.
As I reported more than a year ago California caterers, hotels and restaurants throw out roughly 1.5 million tons of perfectly good food every year, according to the state Integrated Waste Management Board.
This isn’t the still-edible food that many stores routinely donate to community groups once expiration dates are passed. No, we’re talking whole meals — the stuff in the steam trays at banquets and other functions — that frequently end up in the dumpster because no one tried to get them to those who might want or need it.
“Feeding people who are going hungry has always been a pressing issue,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar. “But now it’s not just homeless people we’re talking about. It’s families. It’s children.”
The L.A. City Council last week approved Huizar’s proposal that all city departments adopt policies facilitating donation of leftover food from public programs and events to organizations that feed the hungry.
“I’m looking at the City of Los Angeles to be an example to others,” he told me. “Donating surplus food should be as common as recycling. It should be part of our everyday lives.” It should. And such altruism can’t be confined solely to the public sector. The real trick is getting businesses to also play ball.
Read the rest of the story here.
