It turns out that Americans waste a mind-blowing amount of food.
Incredibly, the country throws out nearly $165 billion worth of food every year, amounting to 730 football stadiums full of rubbish.
And John Oliver believes that this state of affairs is completely unacceptable, and he took aim at the issue in typically cutting fashion on ‘Last Week Tonight’.
Oliver said:
Watching all that food go from farm-to-not-a-table is awful for a bunch of reasons. First and most obviously, there are many people in this country who need that food. In 2013, nearly 50 million Americans lived in food insecure households meaning that at some point in the year they struggled to put enough food on the table.
https://youtu.be/WefBaGYWmaU
And, not only are families in the U.S going hungry, but the discarded food waste also decomposes in overwhelmingly crowded landfills that produce staggering levels of methane gas which is a serious threat to the environment and all life on earth.
Oliver added:
If you’re thinking, ‘But hold on, John, what if I’m an asshole who couldn’t give a shit about America’s hungry families or the long-term viability of life on earth?’ Well, first let me say, ‘Mr. Trump, thank you so much for taking the time to watch this show tonight. It’s lovely to have you with us.’
And, if for some reason, comparisons to Donald Trump aren’t enough to sway your thinking, Oliver also points out the substantial personal financial ramifications of wasting so much food.
