Storytelling from the University of Tennessee's School of Journalism & Media
Up before the crack of dawn. Up before the rooster crowed, while the night mist settled over green grass to become morning dew. Up before the milk cow shifted uneasily from the weight she carried in her utters. Up when the creak of leather harnesses and horses’ breath were the sole sounds accompanying the crunch of boots over hay and the moan of a barn door opening.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, American consumers have been buying hundreds of calories more than those who lived in the 1950s, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The total food supply in 2000 delivered 3,800 calories per person per day. The USDA states, of those 3,800 calories, roughly 1,000 calories were lost due to spoilage, plate waste, cooking and other losses. The average family of four wastes about 20 pounds of food each month, nearly $2,275 a year.
