By: Alex Chu

What would you do with food waste? Well, most people just throw it in the recycling bin or the trash can. Scientists are trying to stop this waste.

In April 2021, researchers in Tokyo found a way to turn waste into edible cement. Scientists say that the cement made from food is biodegradable, meaning that the food cement it can be buried when it is no longer needed or even eaten if it’s crushed and mixed with water.

Where is Food Lost?

Edible food is discarded at every point along the food chain: on farms, on fishing boats, during processing and distribution, in retail stores, in restaurants, and at home.

The 2 Kinds of Food Waste

There are two main kinds of wasted food: food loss and food waste. Food loss is the bigger category and incorporates any edible food that goes uneaten at any stage. In addition to the food that’s uneaten in homes and stores, this includes crops left in the field, food that spoils in transportation, and all other food that doesn’t make it to a store. Some amount of food is lost at nearly every stage of food production. Food waste is a specific piece of food loss, which the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS), defines as “food discarded by retailers due to color or appearance and plate waste by consumers.”