Number of the Day: 20

20 -- It's hard to estimate how much food is wasted at the supermarket level, but one estimate puts it at a $20 billions (with a 'b') value per year just for the US. That's 8-10% of total perishable goods in the country (and more is wasted after it is bought).

48 -- That's how many billions (with a 'b' again) the United Nations estimates that US retailers and consumers throw away each year.

1/2 -- European retailers waste half as much food as US retailers. Part of the reason for that is that food has to travel for longer distances in the US.

At a time when everybody's talking about higher food prices, reducing waste would be a good start. ::The Economist. ::Efficient Refrigerators

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