Food doesn’t become waste until we throw it away. . .
We are often asked, exactly what is rescued or recovered food. The technical answer is any edible food item that was diverted from the waste bin to be used for its original purpose of feeding people.
At Bracken's Kitchen we define rescued food as:
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The 2200 pounds of organic chicken breast that was rejected by Whole Foods Markets due to size and weight irregularities.
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The 1500 pounds of frozen corn that was purchased by large production facility to make a large batch of corn chowder, only to have the chowder order canceled.
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The three pallets of fresh broccoli that couldn’t be sold because it was starting to wilt.
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The large supply of high-quality meat, chicken and seafood that’s been purchased by premier food vendors but never sold and hence had to be frozen.
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The endless supply of cosmetically imperfect produce that doesn’t look good enough for the grocery shelves but is still perfectly edible.
DID YOU
KNOW?
You could fill the Rose
Bowl everyday with the
amount of food wasted in
the United States!
In 2015 in Orange County alone, 22,000 tons of edible food waste was generated, In California, more than 36 million tons of food waste was generated in 2011, 96% of which was thrown away into landfills or incinerators.
Statistics show the gravity of the problem: 30-40% of America’s food supply goes to waste, while at least 20% of the populations suffers from food insecurity. Food accounts for 22% of the municipal solid waste in US landfills. That's about 219 lbs of food per person annually!
