Tossed out.

• Position: GRAPHS - U.S. Department of Agriculture's food waste reduction plan

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a plan that aims to cut the nation's food waste in half by 2030. By any account, that's no small feat. According to a 2010 study by the department's Economic Research Service, about 133 billion pounds of food were wasted at the retail and consumer levels in that year alone (the total doesn't include waste by farms and factories). That translates into a staggering 290 pounds of food waste per person per year, or about four-fifths of a pound of waste per person per day. A first step in bringing that total down, many food-waste activists say, is to look closely at what is getting wasted and who's wasting it.

The bar graph shows approximately how much food in various categories Americans waste. The pie chart shows who's responsible for U.S. food waste at the retail and consumer levels.

ANALYZE THE GRAPHS

1. According to the

   USDA, about--pounds of meat, poultry, and fish were wasted at the retail and consumer levels.

   a 11 billion

   b 15 billion

   c 18 billion

   d 25 billion

2. Americans wasted approximately egual amounts of --.

   a milk and eggs

   b fruits and vegetables

   c grains and eggs

   d grains and fruits

3. Vegetables accounted for almost--of the 133 billion pounds of food waste.

   a 19 percent

   b 25 percent

   c 28 percent

   d 33 percent

4. According to the pie chart, more than half of food waste at the retail and consumer levels occurs in--.

   a stores

   b restaurants

   c homes

   d institutions

5. You can infer that food waste in-- most likely falls into the "Institutions" category of the pie chart.

   a fast-food places

   b prisons

   c farm fields

   d other nations

   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

6. Think about the food that gets thrown away in stores, restaurants, homes, and institutions.

   How much of...