Food waste. You’ve heard about it, you’ve seen it, and you’ve definitely contributed to it. But would you admit it?

In this TED Talk, Tristram Stuart – an English author and food waste campaigner – unveils food waste in a way we haven’t seen before. He begins by acknowledging that eliminating food waste as a whole is just not possible. At the same time, Stuart points out the injustices of our food system and how it contributes to food waste – i.e. cosmetic standards, surplus and inefficiency.

It’s time, he says, to own up to our undeniably wasteful food system.

food waste

Photo courtesy of ted.com

“For the sake of the planet we live on, for the sake of our children, for the sake of the all the other organisms that share our planet with us: we are a terrestrial animal and we depend on our land for food, but at the moment we are trashing our land to grow food that no one eats.”

I’m not going to lie – the truth hurts. But that is exactly why I implore you to watch this video. It’s time to challenge your ideals and your way of life. To reflect. To grasp that while food surplus is an amazing accomplishment for mankind, it’s also one of our biggest downfalls.

So please, watch this video and ask yourself, “what can I do to help solve this problem?