Food Waste Warriors

Why should we care about Food Waste? In the United States, Americans throw away as much as 40% of all food at an estimated cost of $165 billion every year. Worldwide, one-third of the world’s food — some 1.3 billion tons — is lost or wasted every year. The facts of food loss and waste and the resulting consequences affect us in many ways, ranging from important economic and social issues to lasting and detrimental environmental problems. We need to work on these issues to develop a sustainable environment for global food security, population growth, and human health. This class is a biological science general education class designed for all students who are interested in learning  and reflecting upon the major future challenges of food and agriculture. Students will learn about

postharvest biology, environmental and food sciences, and communication technology in reducing food waste. Through active learning activities, group discussion, and field trips, students will gain knowledge on the interactions and interdisciplinary approaches among horticultural science, animal science, agronomy, environmental biology, food science & human nutrition, and public health as well as develop critical skills in the analysis of food waste problem. We will help students identify the current issues in food waste and loss, evaluate the economic problems of food waste, develop critical

thinking, and identify strategies to reducing food waste and loss. The class include guest lectures, TED talks, group discussion and students` oral presentation. Assignments will include group discussions, report writings on selected topics, and oral presentation.