1539 Peanuts Love

I read an interesting article on waste the other day in National Geographic magazine. It described all the food we purchase every year, and how much we throw away. And it really makes you want to go back to the old clean-your-plate-people-are-starving-in-China philosophy.
(I remember being confused as a young child when I was first told that people were starving in China and the plates our food was on were china.)
Some interesting facts were presented. And remember, when you waste food in industrial agriconomy times, you're also wasting the energy, oil, and tractor grease it took to make it.
The more you eat, the more global warming gasses went into producing it—including cow flatulence methane. And when the food rots in the landfill even more wafts into the atmosphere. That should be the new admonishment. "Clean your plate, your waste is warming the planet."
Or put less on your plate.
By the way, the following data does not include bones, peels, pits, cores, or cobs.
The average American purchases 77 pounds of fresh fruit a year and wastes 22. About 28%. Fresh vegetables 131 pounds, wasted 39 pounds. Almost 30%. Poultry 70 pounds purchased, 27 pounds wasted, nearly 40%. That's some funky chicken statistics.
Red meat is just as bad—103 bought, 36 pounds wasted. A third of all cow flatulence warming the planet for nothing.
The funny thing the statistics showed is that the least wasted food category is peanuts. That's right, peanuts. 9 pounds purchased only .9 pounds thrown away. We love our peanuts. And we sure don't want them to go to waste.
And if the rest of the world is appalled at our general wastefulness, they are totally jealous of our exemplary peanut consumption standards.
You might even say they have peanuts envy.
America, ya gotta love it.