Food Waste

Research question: Is the way we feed our livestock affecting food waste on a global scale?

    This is the question that my research paper will be centered around, and I feel that my question requires a bit of an explanation. First, let me start where this idea first came from. I was watching a "TED talk" in Ms. Fletcher's class that talked about the globa food scandal. The "talker", Tristram Stuart, first began to define what food waste was and it's impact on a global scale. What stood out most in his talk was the biggest source of food waste on this planet. To my surprise, it wasn't about how many restaurants, homes, fast food places, etc. throw out untouched food (although, this is a reason behind global food waste, it is not the leading cause), but it turns out we waste majority of our food on feeding livestock. Traditional farm animals such as pigs and cows don't have a very strict diet; in fact, pigs can consume almost anything and it will still lead a healthy life; they are considered the farm industries walking garbage trucks. Yet, we spend millions of  tax dollars on feeding our livestock meals that people in 3rd world countries will never be able to eat. Stuart goes on in his "talk" to say that if we didn't focus so much on the nutrition of our livestock we could potentially end world hunger. Of course, the question of how we would feed our livestock after neglecting their diets sprang up from the crowd. Stuart responded with bringing up the vicious cycle of food waste. Food waste is almost inevitable, since not everyone finishes the food off of their plate, and restaurants or places alike throw out food by the dumpster, we can then use this remaining portion of food waste to feed our livestock. There would need to be health code regulations to this change, but it is a movement that could end world hunger and minimize food waste to a fraction of what it currently is.