Episode 107
Rethinking Surplus: Innovative Solutions to Excess
Aired: Friday, March 12th 2021
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Surplus is usually defined as what’s left over when the demand, or
need, of a population has been met. However, in the context of the food system, this definition leaves us with more leftovers than answers. What might be referred to as surplus food faces a core contradiction: while approximately 35% of the food we produce goes to waste, about 50 million people in the U.S. are experiencing food insecurity. This number has increased from previous years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which begs the question – is it possible to have a food surplus when the need for nourishment is only going up?