What has feeding Wild Boar got to do with Wasted Supermarket Food?

This food which is being put to good use, ( wildlife are benefitting), is Supermarket waste. Seeing how much food is wasted and thrown out, that could be used to feed the homeless, poor, or animals in refuges and sanctuaries. This is one of the reasons I wrote about how much supermarket waste and plastic we produce in my article. Walk with Nature Part 1 Ecological Economy and Solutions.

Food for Thought

Throw Away Culture is Choking the Planet

Over 828 million people globally face hunger (UN FAO, 2023). The U.S. supermarket sector alone could fully feed at least 6–15 million people annually with just its food waste, however, infrastructure, logistics, and policy do not allow therefore, 5 million tons of food goes to waste annually and 8.2 million tons of unnecessary plastic packaging ends up in landfill sites annually.

If we go back to localizing food production into community hubs, farming with co-op communities and abandon this horrific level of waste that Supermarket Capitalism feeds-We would no longer be enslaved to a system that profits from our dependence, we would have a much better quality of life in local communities and cities would not need to be overcrowded.

carlitashaw.substack.co…

🥕 Food Waste Estimates

U.S. grocery retailers generate about 5 million tons of surplus food annually, with over a third going to landfills or being incinerated. carlitashaw.substack.co…

Per Supermarket:

• Annual Food Waste: 5,000,000 tons / 40,000 supermarkets = 125 tons per supermarket per year

• Monthly Food Waste: 125 tons / 12 months = ~10.4 tons per supermarket per month

Collective Waste:

• Monthly: 40,000 supermarkets × 10.4 tons = 416,000 tons per month

• Annually: 5 million tons (as stated above)carlitashaw.substack.co…

🧴 Plastic Waste Estimates

While specific data on plastic waste per supermarket is limited, it's noted that supermarkets are significant contributors to plastic waste, with food containers and packaging generating over 82 million tons of waste each year in the U.S. carlitashaw.substack.co…

Assuming Supermarkets Contribute 10%:

• Annual Plastic Waste from Supermarkets: 82 million tons × 10% = 8.2 million tons

• Per Supermarket Annual Waste: 8.2 million tons / 40,000 supermarkets = 205 tons per supermarket per year

• Monthly Plastic Waste per Supermarket: 205 tons / 12 months = ~17.1 tons per month

Collective Waste:

• Monthly: 40,000 supermarkets × 17.1 tons = 684,000 tons per month

• Annually: 8.2 million tons (as estimated above)

🔢 Step-by-Step Calculation

📦 Total Food Waste from U.S. Supermarkets:

• 5 million tons/year = 10 billion pounds/year (1 ton = 2,000 lbs)

🍽️ Average Daily Food Need per Person:

• An average adult requires 2,000–2,500 calories/day.

• That’s roughly 1.5–2 lbs of food per day, depending on the type and density of food.

Let’s conservatively assume:

• 1.75 lbs of food per day per person (mixed diet estimate)

• 638 lbs/year per person

👥 How Many People Could Be Fed per Year?

10,000,000,000 lbs ÷ 638 lbs/person/year ≈ 15.67 million people/year

✅ Realistic Adjustment for Edible/Recoverable Waste

Not all supermarket waste is edible due to spoilage, packaging, or contamination. Food recovery organizations like Feeding America estimate:

• About 30–40% of supermarket waste could realistically be recovered and redistributed safely.

40% of 15.67 million = ~6.3 million people/year fed

🌍 Context: Global Hunger

• Over 828 million people globally face hunger (UN FAO, 2023).

• The U.S. supermarket sector alone could fully feed at least 6–15 million people annually with just its food waste—if infrastructure, logistics, and policy allowed.

If we abandoned this horrific level of waste that Supermarket Capitalism feeds-We would no longer be enslaved to a system that profits from our dependence.

Independent Reports and Data on Global Hunger

1. Action Against Hunger (2025)

   • Reports that 733 million people worldwide face hunger, equating to nearly 1 in 11 individuals.

   • Highlights that 2.83 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, and 85% of those facing hunger crises live in conflict-affected countries.

   • Source: Action Against Hunger – World Hunger Factsactionagainsthunger.org…carlitashaw.substack.co…

2. Global Hunger Index (2024)

   • Produced by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, the 2024 GHI assigns a global score of 18.3, indicating a moderate level of hunger.

   • Notes that progress against hunger has largely stalled since 2016, with some countries experiencing worsening conditions.

   • Source: Global Hunger Index – 2024 Reportwelthungerhilfe.org/hun…carlitashaw.substack.co…