Podcast: Waste Is Gold

Healthy restaurants are opening everywhere. But what makes them special is not having trending vegetables like kale on their menu, rather their social conscience. 

UN Habitat estimates that globally some 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted every year. On the other side of the equation, more than 821 million people in the world don't have enough to eat. 

What if I tell you that even small actions could make a big difference in tackling global hunger?

Daniel Dickinson reports for the UN flagship podcast, The Lid Is On, on a new initiative that is helping even small restaurants reduce food waste. 

Thanks to the non-profit Rethink Food New York, leftovers from at least six restaurants and three farms are transformed into more than 2,700 meals a week for New York residents who don't have enough to eat. 

Restaurants don't want to throw food away, but sometimes don't have the time, or the logistics, to share their leftovers with those in need. Thanks to Rethink Food, they don't need to solve this conundrum on their own. The organization has all the necessary containers and visits each of their food donors to pick up food that is later distributed among shelters or local agencies.  

According to experts, there are also economic arguments in favor of changing the way we manage our waste. There are direct financial benefits for taxpayers too, as the municipality would be saving a lot of money otherwise spent on meals for the poor. 

It just takes a change of attitude.