In this episode of Rooted & Restless, Marianne Smith Edge talks with Brenna Ellison about the reasons good food goes unused—and why understanding food waste requires looking beyond the kitchen. They explore food waste across the food system, from on-farm surplus crops and harvesting challenges to cosmetic standards in retail, and confusing date labels.

Brenna, also, discusses the efforts of schools, food banks and communities redirecting food that might otherwise be wasted. The conversation includes practical ways to conserve food, from tracking waste and preserving food to using food before it goes bad and stretching food dollars. Brenna highlights the Food Conservation Challenge, an initiative encouraging people to share creative ideas for conserving food.

What We Cover:

• Why food waste is about more than what happens in our kitchens

• “Best By” vs. “Use By” dates and how confusion can lead to unnecessary waste

• Food waste from farm to retail, including surplus crops, harvesting challenges and “imperfect” produce

• Practical ways households, schools and communities can save food, stretch food dollars and waste less

Brenna also explains the National Center for Food Conservation and Waste Reduction’s citizen-science program, where individual households’ commit to track food waste, to help identify solutions that can reduce waste in homes and communities.

Guest: Brenna Ellison, PhD, Director of the Center of Food Conservation and Waste Reduction, Agricultural Economics Professor, Purdue University

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