Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story

Gr 6 Up—This documentary brings the issue of food waste to light. It follows a young couple, Jen and Grant, who take on the challenge of eating only discarded food for six months. At first, they have a hard time finding food, but they discover that so much food is discarded from supermarkets, restaurants, and farms that they can't possibly eat it all. Foods that are slightly imperfect but still perfectly edible or near their expiration dates are thrown away daily, often completely filling dumpsters. According to the film, supermarkets have distributors discard 70 percent of fruits and vegetables because they are considered imperfect in appearance. Consumers end up wasting 25 percent of food at home and throw 60 percent of food away too soon. At the end of the six-month experiment, Jen and Grant have spent only $200 on food and have salvaged about $20,000 worth of discarded foods. As this film suggests, there are many things that can be done to ease the food waste: edibles can be donated, composted, or salvaged. Consumers can also plan better and become more knowledgeable about expiration dates. The DVD comes with classroom and extended versions and CD-ROM resources that include a teacher's guide, tip sheet, and coloring book.