GEOG 100 Film Discussion: Analyzing Food Waste in 'Just Eat It'

This document presents a discussion and reflection on the film 'Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story', addressing the significant issue of food waste and its environmental and social impacts. It begins by highlighting the shocking statistic that 40% of food is wasted, examining the reasons behind this waste in the US, including production inefficiencies, pest infections, and weather conditions. The discussion emphasizes the environmental crisis caused by excessive resource consumption and the generation of methane from food waste in landfills, contributing to global warming. Social impacts, such as the disparity between those who waste food and those who suffer from hunger, are also explored. The document concludes by proposing sustainable solutions like government initiatives, food collection centers, and promoting awareness through media, advocating for a more balanced and responsible approach to food consumption. This assignment is available on Desklib, a platform providing study tools for students.

Running head: FILM WORKS
Discussion on the film, "Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story"
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Essay
Films can be considered as a mirror, representing the societal events. This is because
it contains message for the public to inculcate within their lives. Films containing social
messages act as a mass appeal for improving the standards of living (Dou et al. 2016). Film
critics, though their reviews, alarm the audience about the intensity of the issue, which is
affecting the balance within the society. One such film is Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story,
which forms the basis of discussion in the essay.
One glance at the name of the film suggest oxymoron, as eating food is just opposite
to wasting. “Just” eating food can be considered as fulfilment for one of the basic survival
needs. This aligns with the expression, we live to eat (Feldstein 2017). On the other hand, the
name of the film reflects freeganism, the practice of eating waste food. Freegans are a part of
anti-consumerist ideology, as their consumption of the resources is limited (Baldwin 2014).
The beggars can be placed in this category, as they consume the foods discarded by the
people. However, it is shocking that nearly 50% of the foods are wasted, aggravating the
levels of poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
Filmmakers and food lovers Jen and Grant enhances the awareness of the audience by
projecting the issue of waste from farm, through retail and all the way back to their own
fridge. This issue projects the journey of the products from the farm to the fridge of the
customers. Wastage of food is a simultaneous wastage of the efforts put in by the farmers for
producing quality crops. As per the arguments of Toth and Dou (2016), an insight into the
blogs of the food lovers helps in discovering the intensity to which food is wasted. Along
with this, the cooking shows, culinary magazines are the evidence for the intensity to which
foods are being wasted. The judges simply throw away the foods, which they dislike. This is
striking, as they efforts put in by the contestant are negated. The cleaning staffs take the

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discarded food with them, which is enough for the sustenance of their family. This reflects
their limited ideology, which has been taught to them from their childhood.
Along with this, it also reflects their psychology to perceive the discarded food as
something sumptuous and lip-smacking. This is because of the conditions of poverty, within
which their existence has been entrapped. Making films on this issue is an attempt towards
upgrading the standards of living. However, Heller and Keoleian (2015), proposes that
commercialization in the name of making films is destroying their individualism. Lack of
basic education compels them to suffer taunts and mocking from the upper class, further
broadening the gap with the richer and aristocratic sections of the society.
Need of the hour is strong and flexible government initiatives, which would assure the
people that they are an asset for the society. Strict action is vital for those who waste the
foods. Surviving on waste foods is one of the initiatives towards valuing the efforts of the
farmers. On the contrary, the degrading quality of the waste foods is harmful for health
(Thyberg and Tonjes 2016). Therefore, government needs to initiate 100 days working
scheme for the farmers and provide them free crops, which would help in fulfilling the basic
needs.

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Worksheet
GEOG 100 Film Discussion and reflection worksheet
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story
Name: _________________________________
1. It is obviously surprising that 40% of the food, which is grown is wasted. In US, food wastage
might occur within the stages of production. In case of subsistence agriculture, the causes of food
wastage are unknown. Whereas on-farm losses gain much popularity when food losses are
discussed. In food industry itself, the wastes generate from the initiation of food production chain
(Baldwin 2014). The major drive behind this are pest infections and severe weather conditions,
which aggravates the complexities before the harvesting season starts.
2. One of the striking facts from the film is the environmental crisis, which occurs due to the
excessive consumption of the resources. I think this exploitation contradicts the aspect of
sustainability, broadening the gap between the rich and poor. I also feel that The Clean Bin
Project (2010) is relevant in terms of keeping the environment clean (Baldwin 2014). This is in
order to prevent the instances of decomposition, which might lead to environmental pollutions.
3. Food waste in the landfills generate large amount of methane, which causes global warming
and alters the climactic condition. In the agricultural sector, 70% of the wastes adversely affects
the fresh and the groundwater conditions. This implies that discarding one kg of beef, 50,000
litres of water is being wasted, which could have been used for producing the meat. This is a huge
loss for the butchers as well as the common public. This loss, in turn, adds to the complexities of
sustenance in case of the people belonging to below poverty level (Aschemann-Witzel 2016).
4. I am inspired by the fact that some people are spending lavishly on foods, yet wasting them
whereas some of the needy and poor people are begging, just to get a earn the daily bread for their
family. Need of the hour is sustainable development, which would maintain the balance within the
society in terms of consuming the resources. Strict and flexible policies are needed for yielding

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positive results. 100 days schemes and provision of fruits, vegetables and other essentials as
valuation for their efforts can be one of the initiatives. Along with this, free food collection
centres can be established, where the people can donate the foods. These foods can be distributed
among the people belonging to the below poverty level conditions (Thyberg and Tonjes 2017).

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Discussion
Along with cloth and shelter, food is one of the basic element, which the people need
for sustenance. If food is wasted is wasted by the upper class people, the poor and the needy
suffer from hunger. This destroys the ecological balance. Therefore, the public needs to be
alarmed about the intensity to which food wastage is affecting the environment. For this,
media can play a major role (Porter et al. 2016). Advertising the issues through films, articles,
blogs are one of the ways through which the public can be alarmed. However, Feldstein
(2017) argues that cinematic projections are innovative means for projecting the impact of
food wastage on the environment. Even in the process of projection, foods are wasted.
However, this is in terms of providing the audience with the opportunity to gain familiarity
with the issue of food wastage, which is adding to the suffering and ailments of marginalized
and neglected people in the society (Wetherill et al. 2018).
The directors need to comply with the environmental directives for averting food
wastage. In case of any doubts, contacts can be established with the governmental agencies
for gaining an insight into the latest version of the precautionary measures to reduce the food
wastage. Upon discovering wastages of food, it can be collected and donated in the NGOs
and old age homes. This would be a humanitarian approach towards ensuring the wellbeing
of the society as a whole.

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References
Aschemann-Witzel, J., 2016. Waste not, want not, emit less. Science, 352(6284), pp.408-409.
Baldwin, G. ed., 2014. Just Eat it: A Food Waste Story. Peg Leg Films Incorporated.
Dou, Z., Ferguson, J.D., Galligan, D.T., Kelly, A.M., Finn, S.M. and Giegengack, R., 2016.
Assessing US food wastage and opportunities for reduction. Global Food Security, 8, pp.19-
26.
Feldstein, S., 2017. Wasting biodiversity: why food waste needs to be a conservation
priority. Biodiversity, 18(2-3), pp.75-77.
Heller, M.C. and Keoleian, G.A., 2015. Greenhouse gas emission estimates of US dietary
choices and food loss. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 19(3), pp.391-401.
Porter, S.D., Reay, D.S., Higgins, P. and Bomberg, E., 2016. A half-century of production-
phase greenhouse gas emissions from food loss & waste in the global food supply
chain. Science of the Total Environment, 571, pp.721-729.
Thyberg, K.L. and Tonjes, D.J., 2016. Drivers of food waste and their implications for
sustainable policy development. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 106, pp.110-123.
Thyberg, K.L. and Tonjes, D.J., 2017. The environmental impacts of alternative food waste
treatment technologies in the US. Journal of cleaner production, 158, pp.101-108.
Toth, J.D. and Dou, E.Z., 2016. Wasted food, wasted resources: Land, irrigation water, and
nutrients associated with food wastage in the US. Food waste across the supply chain: A US
perspective on a global problem, 34.
Wetherill, M.S., White, K.C., Rivera, C. and Seligman, H.K., 2018. Challenges and
opportunities to increasing fruit and vegetable distribution through the US charitable feeding

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network: increasing food systems recovery of edible fresh produce to build healthy food
access. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, pp.1-20.